Stropharia coronilla

[ Basidiomycetes > Agaricales > Strophariaceae > Stropharia . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

This mushroom is likely to be mistaken for an Agaricus species if it is not closely examined; it grows in lawns and meadows, and has a yellowish-buff cap and a ring. But close inspection reveals some very non-Agaricus-like features. The gills are pale at first, but soon become a very beautiful shade of purplish gray. And the ring is distinctive: it is usually grooved on its upper surface, and by the time the mushroom is mature, dark purplish spores have fallen onto it, accenting the grooves. Finally, the gills are attached to the stem, rather than being free from it (as in Agaricus).

Stropharia coronilla may be poisonous; it should not be eaten.

Description:

Ecology: Saprobic; growing alone or gregariously on lawns, in pastures, and in other grassy places; summer and fall; widely distributed in North America.

Cap: 2-6 cm; convex, becoming broadly convex to flat; sticky when fresh; golden brown to yellowish, often fading to buff or creamy white; smooth.

Gills: Attached to the stem; pale at first, later purplish gray to purple-black; close.

Stem: 2-5 cm long; 3-6 mm thick; dry; smooth below, cottony above the ring; with a persistent ring that is usually grooved on its upper surface and typically collects purplish gray spores; base sometimes with white mycelial threads.

Flesh: White throughout; soft.

Odor and Taste: Not distinctive.

Spore Print: Dark purple-brown to blackish.

Chemical Reactions: KOH on cap surface slowly reddish.

Microscopic Features: Spores 7-11 x 4-5.5 µ; smooth; elliptical. Chrysocystidia present.

I am treating Stropharia bilamellata as a synonym.

REFERENCES: (Bulliard, 1805) Quélet, 1872. (Fries, 1821; Saccardo, 1887; Kauffman, 1918; Stamets, 1978; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1979; Arora, 1986; Phillips, 1991/2005; Lincoff, 1992; Metzler & Metzler, 1992; McNeil, 2006; Miller & Miller, 2006.) Herb. Kuo 08190201, 01130519.

Stropharia melanosperma is similar, but has a white cap, a longer, slimmer stem, and slightly larger spores.

Further Online Information:

Stropharia coronilla at MykoWeb
Stropharia coronilla at Roger's Mushrooms
Stropharia coronilla at Fungi of Poland

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Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2005, January). Stropharia coronilla. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/stropharia_coronilla.html