The Genus Xerula  

[ Basidiomycetes > Agaricales > Marasmiaceae . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

Members of the genus Xerula can be recognized by their tall and slender stature, their white spore prints and their tough, rooting stems, which taper underground. There is no partial veil or universal veil (among the North American species, anyway), so the relatively thin stem lacks a ring or a volva. Most of the North American species occur under hardwoods east of the Rocky Mountains, but a few occur elsewhere (see the key below).

Xerula species are frequently encountered around stumps and dead trees--or in urban areas where trees have been removed. They are saprobes that subsist on the wood of dead or dying tree roots, but the mushrooms almost always appear to be "terrestrial," without demonstrating a clear connection to buried wood.

Identification of Xerula species often depends on microscopic examination of the gills, cap surface, and spores--and several of the species are dead ringers for one another to the naked eye. This makes Xerula identification tedious if you don't enjoy microscope work--but if you do enjoy time at the microscope, you'll find that Xerula presents a nice suite of fairly discreet characters to work with, and a fairly small field of identification possibilities. Most of our North American species have been supported by mating studies (see Petersen & Methven, 1994; Petersen & Hughes, 2004).

The North American species of Xerula are all "edible," as far as is known, but none is particularly appetizing; I don't recommend them for the table.