Collybia aquosus or dryophila?

[RobSutton]

I guess it comes down to how bulbous does it need to be to be bulbous? All the illustrations I've seen of C.aquosus have something rather more swollen at the base of the stem than these rather nice ones did.





So do you reckon its C.aquosus or C.dryophila (or Gymnopus aquosus or dryophila as they are now in Fungi Nordica)?

Also could do with some help with this rather striking specimen, growing in Polytrichum in mixed Carr woodland (Alder, Willow and Downy Birch), cap was abut 1.5cm maximum diameter.



It had rather a rancid mealy sort of smell and fairly small (6.9-8.0 x 4.9x5.8 microns) clay brown spores:



There were no cystidia that I could discern. Must admit I'm going nowhere with this one - even a Genus would be good.

Any suggestions?

[SheffieldLass]

Originally Posted by RobSutton

I guess it comes down to how bulbous does it need to be to be bulbous? All the illustrations I've seen of C.aquosus have something rather more swollen at the base of the stem than these rather nice ones did.





So do you reckon its C.aquosus or C.dryophila (or Gymnopus aquosus or dryophila as they are now in Fungi Nordica)?

Well that has made me check out the two, having seen Mike's post a bit earlier today, and having G aquosus or G dryophilus in a tub waiting to be checked out, which was what I was about to do later this evening.

It seems you need to look for pink rhizomorphs, and/or look at the cheilocystidia as well as for a bulbous base.

So now I know what I should be looking for .... Well, I'd need to go back to look for rhizomorphs, but didn't see any at the time that caught my attention but then I wasn't looking for them ....

Melanie

[RobSutton]

Originally Posted by SheffieldLass

Well that has made me check out the two, having seen Mike's post a bit earlier today, and having G aquosus or G dryophilus in a tub waiting to be checked out, which was what I was about to do later this evening.

It seems you need to look for pink rhizomorphs, and/or look at the cheilocystidia as well as for a bulbous base.

So now I know what I should be looking for .... Well, I'd need to go back to look for rhizomorphs, but didn't see any at the time that caught my attention but then I wasn't looking for them ....

Melanie

Good luck with yours - I think there might be rhizomorphs coming out of the bulbous base to the stem but they seem yellow not pink. I found the cheilocystidia very hard to spot - will try and get some photos and post some tomorrow.

[SheffieldLass]

Originally Posted by RobSutton

I found the cheilocystidia very hard to spot - will try and get some photos and post some tomorrow.

Yes, the cheilocystidia were very hard to spot in the G dryophilus I found a few weeks ago.

[RobSutton]

Originally Posted by RobSutton

.......

Also could do with some help with this rather striking specimen, growing in Polytrichum in mixed Carr woodland (Alder, Willow and Downy Birch), cap was abut 1.5cm maximum diameter.



It had rather a rancid mealy sort of smell and fairly small (6.9-8.0 x 4.9x5.8 microns) clay brown spores:



There were no cystidia that I could discern. Must admit I'm going nowhere with this one - even a Genus would be good.

Any suggestions?

I've been gnawing away at this one all evening and wonder if it could be one of the small Cortinarius species, there seem to be a number around C.pluvius that look similar (in Fungi of Switzerland) and have fairly small, rounded spores.

[RobSutton]

These are the cystidia from the Collybia aquosus/dryophila. They don't seem to match very well the drawings in Fungi Nordica for either species but I guess this type of shape is hugely variable.

[Andy Overall]

Originally Posted by RobSutton

I guess it comes down to how bulbous does it need to be to be bulbous? All the illustrations I've seen of C.aquosus have something rather more swollen at the base of the stem than these rather nice ones did.





So do you reckon its C.aquosus or C.dryophila (or Gymnopus aquosus or dryophila as they are now in Fungi Nordica)?

Also could do with some help with this rather striking specimen, growing in Polytrichum in mixed Carr woodland (Alder, Willow and Downy Birch), cap was abut 1.5cm maximum diameter.



It had rather a rancid mealy sort of smell and fairly small (6.9-8.0 x 4.9x5.8 microns) clay brown spores:



There were no cystidia that I could discern. Must admit I'm going nowhere with this one - even a Genus would be good.

Any suggestions?

I would go for C. dryophila. The other species looks very Inocybe-like, one of the more smooth spored species.

Andy