Xeromphalina campanella
Bull. Soc. Mycol. Fr. 50: 18. 1934.
Common Name: none
Cap 0.5 - 2 cm broad, convex to planoconvex with a depressed center; surface smooth, orange-brown to yellow-brown with a striate margin.
Gills bright yellow to orange, decurrent, widely spaced, intervenose.
Stipe 1-4 cm long, 0.5-2.5 mm broad, round in cross section, equal; smooth, tough, polished, yellowish above, reddish- brown below with yellowish-brown hairs at the base.
Spores 5-8 X 3-4 µm, elliptical, smooth, amyloid. Spore print white to pale buff.
Densely gregarious to clustered, on rotting conifer wood, fall, winter, and early spring.
Unknown.
Xeromphalina campanella is very common in our coniferous forests. Its coloration, cap shape, decurrent gills, tough thin stipe, absence of an annulus, habitat, and amyloid spores distinguish this species from similar fungi. Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca is similar in color, but larger with dichotomously branched decurrent gills and dextrinoid spores. In our area it tends to grow on wood chips.
Xeromphalina enigmatica, a recently described species (Aldrovandi et al., 2015) is indistinguishable from X. campanella based on micromorphology, macromorphology, or habitat. They can be distinguished only by mating studies or DNA. Whether we have one or both species in California will need further research/data.
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