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Glite Dictionary
genus Lepiota

genus Lepiota

8.8
A group of mushrooms with white spores, including edible and poisonous kinds like parasol mushrooms
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : género Lepiota
  • The genus Lepiota is distinguished by its white spores and scaly caps.

Examples

  • While some members of the genus Lepiota are edible, others can be dangerously poisonous.

  • Many species in the genus Lepiota are commonly known as parasol mushrooms.

  • The genus Lepiota includes both edible and toxic mushrooms.

  • Many species in the genus Lepiota are found in forests.

  • The genus Lepiota includes several species that are popular for foraging, such as the edible parasol mushroom.

  • Mushrooms from the genus Lepiota can be identified by their distinctive white spores and often scaly caps.

  • Though the genus Lepiota contains some edible mushrooms, it also encompasses highly poisonous varieties.

Surface Forms

genus Lepiota singular
genera Lepiota plural

Morphology

genus + lepiota

The phrase 'genus Lepiota' is directly compositional: 'genus' denotes a biological rank grouping related species and 'Lepiota' names a particular group of fungi, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it means the taxonomic group of Lepiota species. This noun + taxon-name pattern is a common, cross-linguistic way to label biological groups, making the meaning transparent to B1 learners.

Etymology

The name genus Lepiota may come from the old Greek word lepis, meaning 'scale', because many of these mushrooms have scaly caps. That's why the name points to this group of small, often scaly mushrooms, some edible and some poisonous.