ID help please

[BROCSMAN]

I found this today growing in a plant pot with last year's tomato compost. It's about four inches high. I haven't got a spore print yet. The best I can come up with is Melanoleuca, but I thought that was an Autumn genus.

Help!

[BROCSMAN]

White spore print - Melanoleuca cognata?

[flaxton]

It could be I found the same today in the wild



along with the spring Psathyrella



P spadiceogrisea

Mal

[Andy Overall]

Originally Posted by flaxton

It could be I found the same today in the wild



along with the spring Psathyrella



P spadiceogrisea

Mal

Mal,

This could be Lyophyllum decastes. I have found it January in previous years.

Andy

[Andy Overall]

Originally Posted by BROCSMAN

I found this today growing in a plant pot with last year's tomato compost. It's about four inches high. I haven't got a spore print yet. The best I can come up with is Melanoleuca, but I thought that was an Autumn genus.

Help!

This could also be Lyophyllum decastes or something close, you need to get a print and check the spores, smooth and subglobose. Melanoleuca will have ellipsoid ornamented spores. M. cognata has a liking for conifer debris and has lovely salmony-yellow gills.

Hope this helps

Andy

[BROCSMAN]

I'm still getting the hang of the microscope, so this is the best shot of the spores (white) I can manage. They look smooth and more round than elliptical, so maybe Lyophyllum not Melanoleuca.

Many thanks.

[Andy Overall]

Originally Posted by BROCSMAN

I'm still getting the hang of the microscope, so this is the best shot of the spores (white) I can manage. They look smooth and more round than elliptical, so maybe Lyophyllum not Melanoleuca.

Many thanks.

Looking at your spores I would say they point more toward the shape of Melanoleuca spores, however I can't make out any ornamentation. The other thing to look for with Melanoleuca is the cheilocystidia not all species from this genus have CH but M. cognata does. You need to take a thin slice from the gill edge, they will be visible if present.

Good Luck.

Andy

[Andy Overall]

Originally Posted by BROCSMAN

I'm still getting the hang of the microscope, so this is the best shot of the spores (white) I can manage. They look smooth and more round than elliptical, so maybe Lyophyllum not Melanoleuca.

Many thanks.

Forgot to mention, Lyophyllum decastes doesn't have cystidia.

[flaxton]

Andy
Thanks for the suggestion your comments sent me straight to the microscope.

Verrucose, amyloid spores 9.5 x 5.11.


Cheilo and pleurocystidia, most encrusted


but as ever the odd anomaly I also found one or two septate cystidia which it shouldn't have



Still confident in M cognata

Mal

[BROCSMAN]

Well I can't find any cystidia, but I suspect it says more about my microscope technique than the fungus. I'll keep trying. Thanks for the advice.