Help with Dune Agraric please

[Ditiola]

Hi

This fungus was growing with Marram Grass in Dunes in Norfolk




It is 15 - 25 mm diameter, has brown adnate gills, broadly ellipsoid (slightly amygdaliforme) brown spores 13 - 18 x 8.7 - 10 microns, and langeniform cystidia on the gill edge. There is no sign of any rings on the stems.

I have tried keying it out for Stopharia and Psylocybe but not found any that grow in dunes or with Marram Grass?

An I missing something obvious?

Any help would be appreciated


Peter

[fairplay]

There is a Conocybe dunensis and a Psathyrella ammophila, but your gills look to be brown so I'd try the former first. Oh, I see you have already said the gills are brown.

C.dunensis could be called something different by now.

Neil.

[stickman]

Hi Peter

The cystidia are not the right shape for Neil's suggestion of Conocybe

There are a few Inocybe species with smooth spores that can be associated with dunes & Marram grass. Possibly an Agrocybe or two as well....maybe it's worth going down this route?

Cheers, Nick

[Ditiola]

Hi

My material is not now in good condition and it has been difficult to find good views of the cystidia, however I have now seen some with round swollen tips (lecythiform) so I am thinking that Neil is probably right, However while most of the spores fit with the size for Conocybe dunensis some spores are slightly bigger than they should be, but I a struggling to make it anything else. and C.dunensis has been recoded several times at the site in Norfolk where I collected the material.

Peter

[SheffieldLass]

Check out Agrocybe pediades. They can be found in bare sand on dunes, apparently ... sometimes under the name A subpediades or A semiorbicularis, but they all seem to be under A pediades now (in Funga Nordica, anyway). Spore size is spot on. Cheilocystidia vary, but are usually capitate. I have their very close relative A ochracea in my garden. They had me stumped for a long time as they don't look like a typical Agrocybe but much more like Psilocybe or Stropharia.

Conocybe cheilocystidia are very distintively skittleshaped (well, if you consider Pholiotina as a separate genus ), and your first description of the cheilocystidia doesn't sound right for them.

Melanie