Psathyrella hydrophila

This 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.

Fruiting body containing fibers (usually in the stalk)

Spore print black, very dark brown, purplish black, or dark purplish brown, but not fitting the Gomphidiaceae
Gills usually light grey, becoming black from spores only when very mature

Cap up to 2" across; glabrous; often very fragile; some shade (or shades) of brown or gray; usually hygrophanous; sometimes wrinkled (as in the photo)
Spore print usually dark purplish brown
With a universal veil that usually persists as a few small, white fragments on the stem, cap, and hanging from the cap margin
On very well-decayed wood or enriched soil, sometimes in lawns, sometimes in large troops
Cap usually almost flat at maturity

Psathyrella hydrophila     (Fries) R. Maire

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

• Spore print very dark brown
  
• Cap up to 2" across; some shade(s) of brown
  
• Partial veil fragments often present on stem and cap margin

Microscropic Characters

• Spores 4-6 x 3-4 µm
  
• Apical pore inconscpicuous, according to Lincoff (1987)

Comments

Psathyrella septentrionalis is identical, except that its spores are bigger: 7-10 x 4.5-5 µm


 

 

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