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Hygrophorus capreolarius

[ Basidiomycota > Agaricales > Hygrophoraceae > Hygrophorus . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

Hygrophorus capreolarius is a European, spruce-associated species in the Hygrophorus russula species group; like other species in the group it features pinkish red to purplish red colors, and Russula-like stature. It can be distinguished, however, by its distant, soon-red gills, the fact that its surfaces do not bruise yellow, and its short spores. The species is reported in North America, especially from the Pacific Northwest and the northern Great Lakes region, but whether the North American versions are actually phylogenetically the same as the European species (which, in an inversion of the usual state of affairs for this website, is described and illustrated here) is not known.

Description:

Ecology: Mycorrhizal with spruces (especially Norway spruce); growing alone or scattered (rarely gregariously); late summer and fall; montane Europe (also reported in North America from the Pacific Northwest, the upper Great Lakes region, and the northeast). The illustrated and described collection is from northern Italy.

Cap: 3-10 cm; convex when young, becoming broadly convex or flat; slightly sticky when fresh, but drying out quickly; finely granular-scaly, especially over the center; the margin at first inrolled, but eventually unrolling; pinkish red to purplish pink; fairly evenly colored; not bruising.

Gills: Broadly attached to the stem or beginning to run down it; nearly distant; pinkish red to brownish red; darkening and developing dark reddish spots with age; short-gills frequent.

Stem: 3-5 cm long; 0.5-1 cm thick; more or less equal; colored like the cap; not bruising; finely hairy; solid; basal mycelium pinkish.

Flesh: Whitish to pinkish; firm; unchanging when sliced.

Odor and Taste: Not distinctive.

Spore Print: White.

Microscopic Features: Spores 6.5-8 x 3.5-5 µ; smooth; ellipsoid; smooth; hyaline in KOH; inamyloid. Hymenial cystidia absent. Basidia 4-sterigmate; to about 55 µ long. Lamellar trama divergent. Pileipellis an ixotrichoderm.


REFERENCES: (Kalchbrenner, 1874) Saccardo, 1887. (Hesler & Smith, 1963; Bird & Grund, 1979; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1979; Moser, 1983; Breitenbach & Kränzlin, 1991; McNeil, 2006; Kovalenko 2008; Lodge et al., 2013.) Herb. Kuo 10111409.


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Hygrophorus capreolarius

Hygrophorus capreolarius

Hygrophorus capreolarius

Hygrophorus capreolarius
Spores



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Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2014, October). Hygrophorus capreolarius. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/hygrophorus_capreolarius.html