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
Leptonia GenusCap up to 2" across; broadly convex; usually slightly scaly, but not silky; either
black or very dark blue or purple and slightly iridescent, or
(very rarely) brightly colored, or
(equally rarely) a little of each
Sometimes smelling awful or like bubble gum, but not like bleach
Stalk fragile, fibrous
Typical Leptonias Section
Diagnosis
- Neither smell nor cap color (some shade of greyish brown) interesting
Comments
Alas, these are much more common than the Interesting Leptonias. Basically, they all look like the picture but less pointy
Narrow down your identification:
Leptonia porphyrophaeaCap greyish brown to deep violet
Stalk lighter in color than cap, less than twice the width of the cap in length
Leptonia serrulataGills whitish at first (greying in maturity), with finely serrated blue-black edges
Cap bluish black, fading to greyish purple; up to 1 1/2" across, with stem 2-3 times as long, concolorous
