Laccaria ohiensis

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

by Michael Kuo

This little guy is one of several small, similar Laccaria species with reddish brown to orangish brown caps and flesh-colored gills. One just about has to consult a Laccaria specialist to separate them. So, after collecting the illustrated mushrooms and beating my head against my microscope for hours, I did just that; I would still be going Laccaria-batty otherwise.

The distinctive features (loud ahems from the gallery) of Laccaria ohiensis include its small stature, the prominently lined cap, the stem (which is short and fairly smooth), and microscopic features (see below).

The species is much too small and insubstantial to be considered for the table.

Description:

Ecology: Mycorrhizal with hardwoods; growing scattered to gregariously; not common; summer and fall; North American range not firmly established, but probably widely distributed, at least in the east.

Cap: .5-2.5 cm; convex, becoming flat and sometimes uplifted; often with a central depression; prominently lined or grooved; smooth to finely hairy; reddish brown to orange-brown, fading to buff; changing color markedly as it dries out.

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

Stem: 1.5-2.5 cm long; up to 2 mm thick; equal or with an enlarged base; smooth or finely hairy; colored like the cap; with white basal mycelium.

Flesh: Thin; colored like the cap.

Taste not distinctive; odor not distinctive.

Spore Print: White.

Microscopic Features: Spores 8-9 µ; round or nearly so; ornamented, with spines 1.5-3 µ long and 1.2 µ across at the base. Basidia 4-spored.

REFERENCES: (Montagne) Singer, 1946. (Arora, 1986; Mueller, 1997.) Herb. Kuo 06080303, 06140303.

Further Online Information:

Laccaria ohiensis at Mueller's Laccaria

© MushroomExpert.Com

Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2003, June). Laccaria ohiensis. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/laccaria_ohiensis.html