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Neolentinus lepideus

[ Basidiomycota > Gloeophyllales > Gloeophyllaceae > Neolentinus . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

Neolentinus lepideus is a variable mushroom, but it can be recognized by its habitat on the deadwood of conifers (including treated lumber), its saw-toothed gills, its very tough flesh, and the scales on its cap and stem. It also features a partial veil, but the veil is rarely observed, since it quickly disappears as the cap opens up.

In western North America Neolentinus ponderosus is similar. It does not have a veil, but since the veil on Neolentinus lepideus is ephemeral, the best way to separate the two species is probably by habitat: Neolentinus ponderosus is more likely to appear in "natural" settings on the dead stumps of pines, while Neolentinus lepideus—in western North America, anyway—is more likely to appear on lumber (fence wood, railroad tracks, and so on). In eastern North America, however, Neolentinus lepideus appears on both natural wood and lumber.

East of the Rocky Mountains Pleurotus dryinus is very similar in overall appearance, but is a soft-fleshed species with velvety surfaces that lack scales.

Lentinus lepideus is a synonym.

Thanks to Justin Dahse for collecting, documenting, and preserving Neolentinus lepideus for study; his collection is deposited in The Herbarium of Michael Kuo.

Description:

Ecology: Saprobic on well-decayed conifer stumps and conifer wood, including treated lumber; causing a brown rot; growing alone or in small groups; summer and fall, or year-round in warm climates; widely distributed in North America—but present in western areas primarily on lumber. The illustrated and described collection is from Florida.

Cap: 2–15 cm across; convex with a slightly inrolled margin, becoming broadly convex; dry; whitish with small, brown, appressed scales.

Gills: Broadly attached to the stem or beginning to run down it; close; short-gills frequent; white; edges serrated.

Stem: 2–10 cm long; 2–4 cm wide; more or less equal; dry; scaly, with white, recurved scales that become reddish brown or darker toward the base; with an ephemeral, easily-lost ring; whitish; very tough.

Flesh: White; very tough; unchanging when sliced, or turning dull yellow in the stem.

Odor and Taste: Odor fragrant, reminiscent of anise; taste not distinctive.

Spore Print: White.

Microscopic Features: Spores 8–11 (–14) x 3–4.5 µm; subcylindric; smooth; thin-walled; hyaline in KOH; inamyloid. Basidia 4-spored. Hymenial cystidia not found. Pileipellis a cutis of hyaline, smooth elements 2.5–7.5 µm wide. Hyphal system dimitic at maturity. Clamp connections conspicuous.


REFERENCES: (Fries, 1815) Redhead & Ginns, 1985. (Kauffman, 1918; Smith, 1949; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1981; Pegler, 1983; Arora, 1986; Phillips, 1991/2005; Lincoff, 1992; Metzler & Metzler, 1992; McNeil, 2006; Miller & Miller, 2006; Kuo, 2007; Trudell & Ammirati, 2009; Woehrel & Light, 2017; Baroni, 2017; Elliott & Stephenson, 2018.) Herb. Kuo 10251801.


This site contains no information about the edibility or toxicity of mushrooms.


 

Neolentinus lepideus

Neolentinus lepideus

Neolentinus lepideus

Neolentinus lepideus

Neolentinus lepideus

Neolentinus lepideus
Spores



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Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2019, February). Neolentinus lepideus. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/neolentinus_lepideus.html