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The Genus Gomphidius  

[ Basidiomycetes > Boletales > Gomphidiaceae . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

The mushrooms in Gomphidius are slimy-capped conifer lovers with dark gray to black spore prints, gills that run down the stem, and stems that are often--though not always--bright yellow near the base. The flesh in the cap and stem is white, and observation of this feature is sometimes the best way to separate species of Gomphidius from species of Chroogomphus, which can appear similar.

Recent research has placed Gomphidius and Chroogomphus within the Boletales, near the genus Suillus. Perhaps this is not a big surprise, since species of Suillus are the slimy conifer lovers among boletes.

 		 

Gomphidius sp.

Gomphidius subroseus


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Key to 10 Gomphidius Taxa in North America  


1.With a veil of slime covering the young gills, leaving thick slime on the stem as the cap expands.
2

1.Without a slime veil; stem not slimy.
6


2.Mature stem not bright yellow at the base.
Gomphidius smithii
at Roger's Mushrooms

2.Mature stem bright yellow at the base or nearly overall.
3


3.Typically growing in clusters, often with stem bases fused; spores shorter than 14 µ; known only from western North America.

3.Not completely as above.
4


4.Cap pinkish to dull reddish; stem .5-1.5 cm wide.

4.Cap more or less brown or dark purplish gray, blackening with age; stem 1-2 cm wide or more.
5


5.Cap 3-10 cm across; northern and montane in distribution.
Gomphidius glutinosus
at Roger's Mushrooms

5.Cap up to 20 cm across; growing at high elevations.
Gomphidius largus


6.Young cap whitish to yellowish; stem blackening on handling; associated with Eastern White Pine in eastern North America.
Gomphidius nigricans

6.Young cap more highly colored; stem not blackening; mycorrhizal associations and distributions various.
7


7.Spores shorter than 14 µ; known from Idaho.
Gomphidius pseudomaculatus

7.Spores longer than 14 µ; distribution various.
8


8.Spores shorter than 23 µ; lower stem covered with smoky yellow to purplish black fibers.
Gomphidius maculatus
at Roger's Mushrooms

8.Many spores longer than 23 µ; lower stem not as above.
9


9.Spores 18-29 µ long; found in northern conifer bogs and with red spruce in the Appalachians.
Gomphidius flavipes
(formerly Chroogomphus flavipes)

9.Spores 18-40 µ long; known from spruce-pine woods in Fresno County, California.
Gomphidius pseudoflavipes
see Miller et al., 2002



References

Arora, D. (1986). Mushrooms demystified: A comprehensive guide to the fleshy fungi. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. 959 pp.

Kauffman, C. H. (1925). The genus Gomphidius in the United States. Mycologia 17: 113-126.

Miller, O. K. Jr. (1971). The genus Gomphidius with a revised description of the Gomphidiaceae and a key to the genera. Mycologia 63: 1129-1163.

Miller, O. K. Jr. et al. (2002). Two new species of Gomphidius from the western United States and eastern Siberia. Mycologia 94: 1044-1050. This paper is available online here, at the Mycologia Web site.

Miller, O. K. Jr. (2003). The Gomphidiaceae revisited: a worldwide perspective. Mycologia 95: 176-183. This paper is available online here, at the Mycologia Web site.

Miller, O. K. Jr. & Miller, H. H. (2006). North American Mushrooms: A Field Guide to Edible and Inedible Fungi. Guilford, CT: FalconGuide. 584 pp.

Scates, K. (1980). Field key to Gomphidiaceae in the Pacific Northwest. Retrieved from the Pacific Northwest Key Council Web site: http://www.svims.ca/council/Gomphi.htm

Singer, R. (1949). The genus Gomphidius Fries in North America. Mycologia 41: 462-489.

Smith, A. H., Smith, H. V. & Weber, N. S. (1979). How to know the gilled mushrooms. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown. 334 pp.

Thiers, H. D. (1985). The Agaricales of California. 3. Gomphidiaceae. Eureka, CA: Mad River Press. 20 pp.



Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2007, October). The genus Gomphidius. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/gomphidius.html