Laccaria longipes

[ Basidiomycetes > Agaricales > Hydnangiaceae > Laccaria . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

Laccaria longipes is a long-stemmed, sphagnum-loving species of Laccaria known from the Great Lakes region. Like other Laccarias, it has a white spore print and thick gills with a somewhat waxy texture. Aside from the long stem and habitat in Midwestern sphagnum bogs, features that distinguish Laccaria longipes from other, similar Laccarias are primarily microscopic (see below).

The edibility of Laccaria longipes is not recorded; do not experiment.

Description:

Ecology: Presumably mycorrhizal with conifers and northern hardwoods, but possibly saprobic; growing alone, scattered, or gregariously in sphagnum bogs; fall; distributed in the Great Lakes region.

Cap: 1-8 cm; convex, becoming flat or with a shallow central depression; the margin usually lined; finely hairy; orangish brown, fading with age.

Gills: Attached to the stem; distant or nearly so; pinkish flesh color.

Stem: 7-15 cm long; up to about 1 cm thick; equal or with a slightly enlarged base; hairy; colored like the cap; with whitish basal mycelium.

Flesh: Thin; pinkish flesh colored.

Taste: Not distinctive or slightly bitter; odor not distinctive.

Spore Print: White.

Chemical Reactions: KOH on cap surface negative.

Microscopic Features: Spores 7-8 x 6-8 µ; round or nearly so; ornamented with spines mostly about 1 µ long. Basidia 4-spored.

REFERENCES: Mueller, 1991. (Mueller, 1997.) Herb. Kuo 09120508.

Further Online Information:

Laccaria longipes at Mueller's Laccaria

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Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2006, March). Laccaria longipes. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/laccaria_longipes.html