Hypsiszygus tessulatus
Synonyms
Pleurotus elongatipes
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
Lignicolous Trich SubfamilyGrowing on trees or dead wood, leaves, or sticks, or organic debris, often in moss
Tough LignoTrich TribeAssume a lateral stem, unless otherwise noted in the diagnoses below
If laterally stemmed, then gills strongly decurrent
Oyster LignoTrich SubtribeCap always smooth (perhaps thinly, minutely furry), never scaly or thickly or coarsely hairy
Gills white to buff, though perhaps discoloring yellow (along with cap) in age, unless covered by a veil
Growing on wood
Hypsiszygus GenusStalk central, well-defined, up to 8 1/2" long
Causes a brown rot
Here are the characters that distinguish this species from the others in its group. For its more general characters, see higher up on the page.
If there's just a few words or a microscopic feature here, a more thorough description can be found above.
Diagnosis
- Cap white or pale tan, with watery spots
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On living elms, box elders, probably other hardwoods
Comments
I have found it on box elder, with the fruiting bodies emerging from the scars left by broken-off branches
Roger Phillips's (1991) Mushrooms of North America gives two nice photos (and descriptions) of this species in slightly different stages of development, under the names Hypsiszygus tessulatus and Pleurotus elongatipes