Habitat and Ecology
This species is a saprobe, found in diverse types of habitats in the country, in pastures and meadows, in open areas at edges of forests, as well as on abandoned arable lands and pastures. Detailed studies on the species ecology have not indicated any preference for temperature; consequently, it is not regarded as a thermophilous species; it neither has a preference for soil pH. However, the species thrives only in nutrient rich soils with moderate humidity, and the vegetative mycelium is thought to be with perennial character (Gryndler et al. 2008, Sterry 2011). The species usually produces sporocarps from spring to autumn, in the form of fairy rings.
Langermannia gigantea has been established at 60 sites in the country, broadly dispersed in 34 biogeographic regions (Melovski et al. 2013), at elevation ranges between 350–2,000 m. Six of the known sites are located in national parks, as follows: Galicica – one site in the zone of active management, Mavrovo – four sites in the zone of sustainable use, and one in the zone of active management. The species is edible, prominent, so it has been searched for in the past, and it has been frequently reported. Nevertheless, since it can be found in various types of habitats that are rather common in the country, an estimation of probable sites was made (Dahlberg and Mueller 2011). The total number of sites is guesstimated to be by 2 to 3 times higher than the current number, resulting in a maximum of 180 sites.
