Key to Gilled Mushrooms KeyThis is a key to gilled mushrooms, that is, mushrooms having a definite cap with a fertile surface consisting of gills. The fruiting body usually also has a stem, although that may be lateral or absent (usually, then, the mushroom is growing from wood). You can use this key to identify mushrooms that you find.
Agaricales OrderFruiting body containing fibers (usually in the stalk)
Pink Spored SuborderSpores pink or reddish
Entolomataceae Family
Diagnosis
Microscropic Characters
- Except for Clitopilus, all the genera in the Entolomataceae have spores are "angular": that is, they're shaped like a polygon with a point added - - sort of like an angular apple seed. The number of sides listed are when viewed from the side. This means that almost all the species in these genera have been lumped or split in different ways by different authors at different times, creating a whole bunch of extra names and adding to the confusion. Clitopilus spores, however, are shaped like caraway seeds, which separates them nicely from the other genera
Comments
The Entolomataceae are a confused and confusing group of fungi. When faced with them, even extremely expert, professional non-specialists are usually at a complete and total loss. I'm including the few unusually distinctive species here that everybody knows, but otherwise washing my hands of the group as quickly as possible
All Entolomataceae with clearly decurrent gills go in Clitopilus. Subdecurrent gills gets you to Entoloma abortivum. After that, try Nolanea and Leptonia. The smaller it is, the more likely it is to be a Nolanea rather than a Leptonia (look at cap texture if the color is inconclusive). If it's too big (or the stem is fleshy) for those genera, then you're just out of luck because it's an Entoloma, and abortivum is the only one from this area that can be identified without someone doing a monograph's worth of research and a digest of the technical literature
Good luck!
Narrow down your identification:
Clitopilus Genus- Cap up to 4" across; white to brownish grey
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Gills usually decurrent
Entoloma Genus- Cap up to 6" across
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Stem fleshy
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Usually dull-colored: some shade of greyish brown, but sometimes dark-colored: black, dark blue or dark purple
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Sometimes smelling like bleach ("nitrous")
Leptonia Genus- Cap up to 2" across; broadly convex; usually slightly scaly, but not silky; either
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black or very dark blue or purple and slightly iridescent, or
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(very rarely) brightly colored, or
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(equally rarely) a little of each
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Sometimes smelling awful or like bubble gum, but not like bleach
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Stalk fragile, fibrous
Nolanea Genus- Cap up to 2" across; acutely conical when young, sometimes becoming umbonate in age; often silky but not scaly
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Dull colored (shades of greyish brown) or brightly colored (usually yellow or salmon orange), but not really darkly colored
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Gills barely attached to the stalk, sometimes appearing free
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Stalk thin, fragile
Pouzarella Genus- Cap scaly and sometimes hairy; stalk hairy, at least at base (sometimes also scaly)
Rhodocybe Genus
