Another Entoloma - with a Blue Stem

[RobSutton]

Found growing in unimproved grassland near Malham Tarn. The blue stem takes me to Key D in Funga Nordica. I then struggled a little with the first question in that key - I couldn't make the pileipellis either an ixocutis (and folowing step 2 neither suggested species fit) or a trichoderm or hymeniderm.



Eventually I decided to follow step 3 as descriptions later in this section also talk about some species having a cutis for the pileipellis. Clamps were absent which took me onto 12. The gill edge had cheilocystidia present taking me onto 13.

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The gills didn't seem to have a blue tinge and the spores were regularly 5-6 angled leading to 14.



At 14 I decided it had clavate cheilocystidia - onto 15, the spores were >10 microns long which took me to 17. At 17 I decided the cap wasn't pale beige so onto 18. The stem was uniformly coloured taking me to 19 where I decide it didn't have a fine blue flocculose covering so onto 20. Back to colours where I had to decide between Fulvous (E.fuloviolaceum) or Yellow-Brown to Dull-Brown. I went for the Yellow-Brown to Dull Brown option taking me onto 21 where on the basis of shape of the cheilocystidia and size of spores I opted for E.sodale.

So what do you think the chances are of me being correct? The colour questions and type of pileipellis threw me a couple of times but by matching descriptions of the various options I thought I'd sorted it out.

If nothing else it's a nice photo of a fairly striking specimen

[FungiJohn]

'If nothing else it's a nice photo of a fairly striking specimen' says it all I think Rob

I find many of these Blue Stemmed Entoloma's at Longshaw and always have great difficulty in keying out.

To be honest, I have never come across Entoloma fuloviolaceum!

I often use this as a rough 'guide'

BioLib - Entoloma

One for Kew perhaps

John