Laccaria

Laccaria is a genus around 75 species of fungus found in both temperate and tropical regions of the world. They are mycorrhizal. The type species is Laccaria laccata, commonly known as the deceiver. Other notable species include L. bicolor, and the amethyst deceiver (L. amethystina), sometimes incorrectly written as L. amethystea. Because some Laccaria species have the ability to grow vegetatively and/or germinate from basidiospores in culture, they are often used as experimental systems for studies of ectomycorrhizal basidiomycetes. They have a 'tetrapolar mating system', meaning that there are 4 mating types, any two of which can fertilize each other. Recently, the genome of L. bicolor has been sequenced. Laccaria typically have thick, widely spaced, purple to flesh-colored gills that are adnate to slightly decurrent in attachment. The spores are white and ornamented in most species. The following is an incomplete list of Laccaria species reported in the literature: