Fungus for ID. Inocybe sp?

[hillrover]

Any help on this fungus would be appreciated.
Pictures taken in October. Some remnants were still present in mid-November but by then they were long past their best. At their best they were a lovely rich brown, going on to brown/grey as they aged.










Location: Wensleydale, North Yorks. Short grass/moss on top of a limestone pavement.
Several fruiting bodies growing in a ring at the top of the scar.
Size: Height 2cm Diameter 2.5 cm
Cap: dark brown/grey. Satin finish. Fibrous. Umbo.
No colour change across the cap but lighter on the cap edge.
Stipe: same colour as cap, going slightly lighter towards the top. Bendy, does not break up easily. Very slightly hollow.
Gills. Medium->wide spaced. Varied length but not divided
Flesh: Brown but lighter than cap and stipe.
Spore print: On Jordan’s colour chart the nearest is number 11 – sienna.
smell: I didn’t detect any particular smell, but I’m not very good at smells.

I have tried keying it out and some sort of Inocybe sp seems to be the most likely, but as usual I’m far from confident.
Any help gratefully received, even if you only tell me I’m barking up the wrong tree – or just barking!!

Christine

[fairplay]

Hello Christine,
A Happy New Year to you, especially one who gives such useful information.

Unfortunately, I can only take you as far as Entoloma, as these seem to turn into a completely different beast when they start to dry out leaving me very muddled.
Probably they are E.confederendum or E.clypeatum - someone else will confirm this I'm sure, but really a microscope is needed to be certain.

I'm a little surprised at your coming to 'sienna' as these spores should be pink - I wonder what others think ?

Neil.

[hillrover]

Thanks for the suggestion, Neil. Happy New Year to you too.

I have looked at the Entoloma entries in several books but I remain confused - not unusual

The bits that don't seem to add-up:

Neither young nor old specimens ever showed as bonnet shaped.
The caps were always quite flat and a darkish brown.
The gills were also quite dark, as was the spore print.

I have been keeping a regular eye on this field so I have watched these over 3 or 4 weeks.

This isn't to say that you can't be right. They might well be more varied than my ref books suggest - most things are. ho ho

Christine

[hillrover]

second thoughts.

I suppose the little one in the first picture does look a bit bonnet shaped!!
The rest probably sprung up whilst I was asleep. The spore print is still a mystery though - very dark to be thought pink.

Christine

[fairplay]

I'm getting worried now - no body else has come on to back up my view that this is an Entoloma - but it has to be.
I know of people with far less experience than myself, somehow able to confidently name these to species even in the field. That's just the way the cookie crumbles, I probably spend too much time doubting my ID skills - I use this word rather than technique because I don't really have a tried and tested technique (dare I say pot luck ? shhhh !)

So come on somebody else, surely Entoloma's ain't that difficult.

Neil.

[stickman]

Originally Posted by fairplay

So come on somebody else, surely Entoloma's ain't that difficult.

Oh go on then..

Entoloma sericeum

See - Easy!

Cheers,
Nick

[fairplay]

Originally Posted by stickman

Oh go on then..

Entoloma sericeum

See - Easy!

Cheers,
Nick

Whadya tell you Christine ? Easy Peasy !
(how do you know that without a scope, he says)

Neil.

[Ditiola]

Hi

Definitely an Entoloma but that’s as far as I will go

Entoloma spores are often a brownish pink or pink brown rather than a definite pink

Peter

[fairplay]

Thanks Pete, but in this respect Michael's colour chart doesn't help at all because throughout his Entoloma descriptions he describes all the spores as "pink, smooth" (except for E.corvinum - Spores: hyaline, pink in the mass)
Yet Christine, using Michael's colour chart, makes the spores at No 11 Sienna, which as you state, could be called a dark pink. (edit, a pink/brown)

At least we know it's an Entoloma.

Neil.

[stickman]

Originally Posted by fairplay

Whadya tell you Christine ? Easy Peasy !
(how do you know that without a scope, he says)

Neil.

I find some genera almost as easy without a 'scope - eg Clitocybe, Amanita, Entoloma.
Granted - the species within these genera often have significant microscpic differences, but these usually correspond with obvious macroscopic ones too!
Sometimes it just involves a load of hard work to learn the 'jizz'.

Put down that 'scope and set yourself free! (just don't tell Chris I said that)

Happy new year.
Nick