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)
White Spored SuborderSpore print "light-colored": white or buff, sometimes tinged with pink or tan. Greenish and (except for the Russulales) yellow spore prints also go here
Stalk fibrous, not fracturing like a piece of chalk
Tricholomataceae FamilyNone of the special features distinguishing the other white-spored genera:
Gills not free, as in the Lepiotas and Amanitas
Basidia not extra-long, as in the Hygrophoraceae
Spores smooth, except for Lentinellus
Terrestrial Trich SubfamilyGrowing on the ground
Woodland Normal Trich TribeFound in woods
Not rooting
Cystoderma GenusCap powdery
Stalk sheathed by a powdery armilla
Generally up to 2" across
Dark Red Cystoderma Section
Diagnosis
- Cap and scales on stem dark red to maroon
Narrow down your identification:
Cystoderma cinnabarinumProminent cheilocystidia
Ring often incomplete, not very assertive
Cystoderma granulosumIntermediate in color: brick-red to yellowish tan
Stalk often hollow in age; ring fragile, often disappearing (in whole or part)
I have ambiguous data on habitat: A. E. Bessette, D. W. Fischer & A. R. Bessette (1997) mentions conifer needles; R. Phillips (1991) says mixed woods