Tricholoma     Genus

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 "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

None 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

Growing on the ground

Found in woods
Not rooting

Woodland habitat (mycorrhizal)
Stem fleshy, not rooting

Tricholoma     Genus     (Fries) Staude

Diagnosis

• All mushrooms with emarginate gills (as in picture) go here
  
• Some yellowish coloration common, perhaps some colorful powder or scales on the cap and/or lower stem; sometimes with a partial veil and armilla (not an annulus).
  
• If the mushroom has an ordinary annulus, you may have one of the Lepiotaceae

Microscropic Characters

• The true criteria: smooth, inamyloid spores and parallel gill trama: Clark Ovrebo (1990) "An introduction to the infrageneric classification of Tricholoma"

Comments

Narrow down your identification:

Cap with coarse scales and fibers
With an armilla; the part that sheathes the stem breaking up into patches as the stem grows

Cap yellow with darker center
Under pine
Often only partially emerging from the ground

Grey cap

Glossary

Mushrooms

People

Newsletter

Events