Part 21

Marginal cystidia: flasked-shaped, short, cylindric and hyaline.

Facial cystidia: more swollen than marginal cystidia and with silvery contents which yellow in solutions containing ammonia.

Habitat & Distribution: The sulphur-tuft grows in dense clusters on and around old stumps of broad-leaved trees, and can be found throughout the year; it also grows on conifers, but less frequently.

General Information: It may be recognised by the greenish tint of the immature gills and of the young cap. H. capnoides (Fries) Kummer grows on the wood of coniferous trees and has a much more ochraceous brown cap and stem than the sulphur-tuft and slightly larger spores--7-8 × 4-5 µm. H. sublateritium (Fries) Quélet grows on hardwoods but is bigger than H. fasciculare and has a brick-coloured cap and very sturdy stem (spores 6-7 × 3-4 µm).

Illustrations: F 37b; Hvass 176; LH 147; NB 141⁵; WD 76².

~Flammulina velutipes~ (Fries) Karsten

Velvet-shank

Cap: width 20-80 mm. Stem: width 5-10 mm; length 35-60 mm.

Description:

Cap: bright sand-colour or slightly red-brown at centre, convex at first then flattened with age, smooth, slimy because of the presence of a sticky elastic skin, rather rubbery to the touch.

Stem: cylindrical or slightly swollen towards the base, dark brown and densely hairy or velvety, tough and rubbery to handle.

Gills: adnexed, very unequal and somewhat distant, pale yellow, gradually becoming buff as the spores mature.

Flesh: with rather pleasant smell, yellowish, watery and soft.

Spore-print: white.

Spores: medium-sized, hyaline, ellipsoid and about 8 × 3-4 µm in Size (7-9 × 3-4 µm).

Marginal cystidia: hyaline, elongate, broadly flask-shaped.

Facial cystidia: similar to marginal cystidia.

Habitat & Distribution: Found in clusters on old stumps, fallen trunks and on the wounded parts of standing trees.

General Information: This fungus can be recognised by the clustered habit, the viscid, bright tawny cap and the dark velvety stem. This is one of the few agarics which occurs regularly late in the season, even appearing in the winter, although it can be seen growing in its familiar groups at almost any time of the year. This fungus holds a rather isolated position in classification and was once placed in the genus Collybia. It may be found in several books under this last genus.

Illustrations: F 18b; Hvass 80; LH 109; NB 141³; WD 21⁴.

~Mycena galericulata~ (Fries) S. F. Gray

Bonnet mycena

Cap: width 25-50 mm. Stem: width 3-6 mm; length 50-125 mm.

Description:

Cap: conical or bell-shaped then expanding but retaining a central umbo, never completely flattened, smooth, greyish, pale sepia or dirty white and striate with darker lines from the margin to the centre.

Stem: similarly coloured to the cap, smooth, shiny, tough and usually noticeably downy at base.

Gills: at first white flushed distinctly pale pink with age, uncinate, rather distant and sometimes with interconnecting veins.

Flesh: white with little or no distinctive smell.