Part 4

1. Spores distinctly coloured in mass and coloured individually under the microscope 2

Spores not, or faintly, coloured in mass and hyaline under the microscope 25

2. Spores blackish or some shade of brown 8

Spores pinkish 3

3. Stem laterally attached to the cap or absent Claudopus (and some species of Clitopilus)

Stem centrally attached to the cap 4

4. Stem with a cup-like structure enveloping the base Volvariella

Stem lacking any special structure at its base 5

5. Gills not attached to the stem (free), or with part attached to and descending down the stem (decurrent) 6

Gills attached to the stem but not descending down the stem 7

6. Gills remote to free from the stem Pluteus

Gills distinctly attached and descending down the stem Clitopilus (see also Eccilia p. 102)

7. Gills broadly attached to the stem (adnate) Entoloma

Gills narrowly attached to the stem (adnexed) Leptonia & Nolanea

8. Stem laterally attached to the cap Crepidotus

Stem centrally attached to the cap 9

9. Spore-print some shade of brown 10

Spore-print blackish to purplish black 18

10. Spore-print bright rust-brown 11

Spore-print dull clay-brown or ochraceous 16

11. Stem with the veil girdling the stem (ring), or cobweb-like (cortina) 12

Stem without the veil girdling the stem or when present then easily lost 13

12. Stem with distinct ring or ring-zone Pholiota & related genera

Stem with cobweb-like veil or faint filamentous ring-zone Cortinarius & Gymnopilus

13. Gills attached to the stem but not descending down the stem (adnexed to adnate) 14

Gills free of the stem, or distinctly attached to and running down the stem (decurrent), and then often joined together at the apex of the stem or at their base 15

14. Cap-surface composed of rounded cells Conocybe

Cap-surface composed of filamentous cells Galerina