Group B - Gilled fungi with a central to eccentric stem, no
annulus, even gill edges, and decurrent to subdecurrent gills

 

1. Cap, stalk or both with conspicuously hairy or velvety areas

    2. Cap 0.5-2.5 cm wide, base of stalk covered with dense orangish hairs, mushrooms
        densely clustered

       
 3. Mushroom growing on decaying conifer logs, stumps, and fallen limbs ....Xeromphalina campanella

        3. Mushroom growing on decaying hardwood logs, stumps, and fallen limbs ...Xeromphalina kauffmanii

 
  2 Cap typically larger than 2.5 cm wide, mushrooms solitary to grouped or clustered

       4. Spore print yellowish to brownish; cap convex to flat, brownish; stalk 2.5-10 cm
           long, up to 3 cm thick, central to eccentric, velvety with blackish-brown hairs;
           gills yellowish, forked to pore-like near stalk ...............................................Tapinella atrotomentosa

       4. Spore print white

           5. Stipe well-developed (up to 15 cm long, 4 cm thick) and densely coated with
               coarse white hairs, especially toward base....................................................... Lentinus levis

           5. Stipe absent or much smaller (up to 4 cm long), cap and stalk densely hairy
               and velvety, pinkish tan to reddish brown with violet tints, becoming pale
               ochraceous or tan with age ...........................................................................Panus neostrigosus

1. Cap typically smooth, without conspicuous hairy or velvety areas although tufts of fibers, matted hairs, small
    scales, and areas described as minutely hairy or velvety may be present on some species

     6. Spore print salmon pink; aborted forms present in addition to gilled forms ............. Entoloma abortivum

     6. Spore print white to cream, pale pinkish, yellowish, lilac-gray or brownish

         7. Spore print white to cream, pale pinkish, yellowish or lilac-gray

             8. Spore print yellowish or pale pinkish

                  9. Spore print yellowish; cap brownish; gills golden.............Chrysomphalina chrysophylla

                  9. Spore print pale pinkish; cap yellow; gills whitish........................Pleurotus citrinopileatus

             8. Spore print white to cream or lilac-gray

                 10. Cap, stipe, and gills lilac/violet when young but soon fading with age
                       making identification of older specimens difficult

                     11. Cap and stalk sticky/slimy when moist; on conifer wood ................Chromosera cyanophylla

                     11. Cap and stalk not sticky/slimy; on deciduous wood .........................Panus conchatus

                 10. Cap, stipe, and gills variously colored but never lilac/violet
                       even when young

                     12. Gills repeatedly forked..................................................................Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca

                     12. Gills not forked

                         13. Cap red-orange to orange to yellow-orange

                               14. Cap 7.5-20 cm wide ...................................................................Omphalotus illudens

                               14. Cap smaller, up to 4 cm wide.....................................................Hygrocybe cantharellus

                         13. Cap dark brown to yellow-brown or white to cream or grayish-brown to violet-brown

                               15. Cap yellow-brown with darker brown tufts of fibers or scales; occurs in
                                     clusters at base of trees..................................................................Desarmillaria tabescens

                               15. Cap color white to cream to grayish or grayish-brown to violet-brown;
                                     surface smooth, without tufts of fibers or scales................................Pleurotus spp.

         7. Spore print brownish; cap brownish, dry to slimy, smooth or covered with matted hairs;
             flesh, gills, and stalk bruise reddish- brown or brown on handling..............................Paxillus involutus

 

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This page © 2006 by Gary Emberger, Messiah University