Inocybe geophylla

[Basidiomycetes > Agaricales > Cortinariaceae > Inocybe . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

There aren't a lot of white Inocybe species, and Inocybe geophylla is by far the most commonly collected species in the group. Distinguishing features also include the small size, the spermatic odor (crush a piece of the cap between your fingers--but read this if you're having trouble figuring out that olfactory description), and the smooth, elliptical spores.

Inocybe geophylla var. lilacina has a purple cap.

Description:

Ecology: Mycorrhizal with hardwoods and conifers; growing alone, scattered, or gregariously; summer and fall (and winter in warm climates); widely distributed in North America.

Cap: 1-4 cm; conical at first, becoming broadly bell-shaped or broadly convex; dry; silky or almost smooth; whitish; the margin often splitting when mature.

Gills: Attached to the stem, sometimes by a notch; close; whitish, becoming grayish brown and eventually medium brown; covered at first by a cob-webby white cortina.

Stem: 1-6 cm long; up to about .5 cm thick; more or less equal; dry; silky; whitish; fairly firm.

Flesh: Whitish; insubstantial.

Odor: Spermatic or sometimes not distinctive.

Chemical Reactions: KOH on cap surface negative.

Spore Print: Dull brown.

Microscopic Features: Spores 8-10 x 4.5-6 µ; more or less elliptical; smooth. Cystidia up to 70 x 20 µ; fusoid or fusoid-ventricose, often with a flattened apex; abundant; thick-walled; apically encrusted.

REFERENCES: (Persoon, 1801) Kummer, 1871. (Fries, 1821; Saccardo, 1887; Kauffman, 1918; Kauffman, 1924; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1979; Arora, 1986; Phillips, 1991/2005; Lincoff, 1992; Cripps, 1997; Barron, 1999; McNeil, 2006.) Herb. Kuo 01120609.

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Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2007, April). Inocybe geophylla. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/inocybe_geophylla.html