Common Mushrooms and Other Fungi of Salt Point

Common Mushrooms and Other Fungi of Salt Point, California

Spores produced on basidia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Basidiomycetes (below)

Spores produced inside asci . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ascomycetes (page 52)

Fruiting bodies resembling miniature puffballs with or without minute stalks, produced from a slime body (plasmodium); the spore mass powdery and readily released from a fragile peridium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Slime Molds) Myxomycetes (page 56)

Basidiomycetes

Basidia and spores borne externally on exposed gills, spines, pores, etc.; spores forcibly discharged at maturity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hymenomycetes (below)

Basidia and spores borne internally (inside the fruiting body or inside a spore case; spores not forcibly discharged . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gasteromycetes (page 49)

Hymenomycetes

1. Gills present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Agarics (page 5)

1. Gills absent (but spines, warts, folds, or wrinkles may be present) . . . . . . . . . 2

2. Pores present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

2. Pores absent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 (page 4)

3. Fruiting body fleshy, rapidly decaying; stalk typically central . . . . . . . . Boletes

	Boletus spp.	Leccinum spp.	Suillus spp.
Stalk	Fleshy, sometimes bulbous, often reticulated	Fleshy, usually tough, pale, roughened by small, dark tufted hair or scales (scabers)	Equal, resinous brown glandular dots or smears usually present

Cap	Usually dry	Viscid or dry	Usually viscid

Pores	White, yellow, red, brown, or gray; sometimes blueing	Whitish to pale brown	White, yellow, few red; sometimes radially arranged; rarely blueing

Veil	Absent	Absent	Often present

(Also see Tylopilus, page 4)

Boletus spp.

(1) Stalk at least partially red . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

(1) Stalk whitish to yellow to brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

(2) Pores orange to red . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

(2) Pores yellow or brownish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

(3) Stalk not bulbous (but may be slightly thicker at base) nor reticulated; cap 5-15 cm broad, brownish, quickly staining blue-black; flesh of cap, pores, and stalk blueing very quickly when exposed; stalk 4-15 cm long, 2-4 cm thick, yellowish but usually coated by red or orange granules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B. erythropus

(3) Stalk swollen at base or bulbous, reticulated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

(4) Stalk with a massive, exaggerated bulb; cap 7-30 cm broad, gray to buff, convex, dry, usually smooth, flesh white to yellow, blueing when exposed; pores blueing when bruised; stalk 6-15 cm long, 2-6 cm thick at apex, grayish above, reddish at least below (but fading in age), bulb up to 15 cm thick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B. satanas

(4) Stalk with a swollen base but not bulbous; cap 8-25 cm broad, brown to reddish brown, convex, dry, smooth (but velvety when young), flesh yellow, blueing when exposed; pores blueing when bruised; stalk 7-20 cm long, 2-5 cm thick at apex, red above, yellowish to reddish-brown below, bulb up to 10 cm thick . . . . B. pulcherrimus

(5) Growing on wood; cap 5-15 cm broad, brown to maroon-brown, convex, plush-like; pores not blueing; stalk 7-20 cm long, 1-3.5 cm thick, maroon with yellow streaks, roughened . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B. mirabilis

(5) Growing on the ground . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

(6) Taste bitter; size robust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

(6) Taste mild; size moderate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

(7) Stalk not reticulate but may be streaked; cap 6-20 cm broad, tan, flesh quickly blueing; pores yellow, blueing when bruised; stalk 7-13 cm long, 1-4 cm thick, yellow above and reddish below, becoming all dark red in age, equal or clavate . . . B. rubripes

(7) Stalk finely reticulate, at least the upper half; cap 10-30 cm broad, olive-brown to brown, flesh quickly blueing; pores yellow, blueing quickly; stalk 6-15 cm long, 3-7 cm thick, yellow and red, equal or bulbous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B. calopus

(8) Cap brownish, conspicuously areolate (fissured) at maturity (pink in cracks), 3-11 cm broad, flesh usually blueing slowly when exposed; pores yellow but brownish in age, large (about 1 mm in diameter), usually staining blue; stalk 4-13 cm long, 0.5-1.5 cm thick, yellow and red, equal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Boletus (Xerocomus) chrysenteron (B. truncatus is similar but has truncate spores)

(8) Cap black (but reddening in age), 3-16 cm broad, convex to plane, dry, flesh sometimes blueing when exposed; pores may stain blue; stalk 4-12 cm long, 0.5-3 cm thick, red with yellowish background to all red in age, equal . . . . . . . . . . B. zelleri

(9) Stalk usually smooth and equal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

(9) Stalk reticulated above and usually bulbous. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

(10) Cap usually <5 cm broad, orange-brown, taste peppery; pores yellow-brown to cinnamon, not blueing when bruised; stalk 2-8 cm long, 0.5-2 cm thick, buff to orange-brown, smooth, flesh of stalk base bright yellow, base coated with bright yellow mycelium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B. piperatus (Chalciporus piperatus)

(10) Cap usually >5 cm broad; taste mild; stalk base without yellow mycelium . . . . 11

(11) Cap viscid, 4-15 cm broad, reddish-brown to chestnut brown, smooth; pores brilliant yellow, not bruising blue; stalk 6-15 cm long, 0.6-2 cm thick, variable but usually yellow above and reddish-brown below, smooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B. flaviporus

(11) Cap dry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

(12) Cap 4-12 cm broad, brown to blackish; pores brilliant yellow; stalk whitish to buff, sometimes with a yellow apex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B. citriniporus

(12) Cap 5-15 cm broad, yellowish to brown, velvety, flesh blueing weakly or not at all; pores large (1-3 mm in diameter), yellow, blueing weakly or not at all; stalk thin (4-14 cm long, 1-2 cm thick), yellow to buff, often stained brown . . . . . . B. subtomentosus

(13) Pores yellow, usually bruising blue; cap 6-20 cm broad, yellow to brown to rusty brown, sometimes with reddish blushes, dense, flesh usually slowly bruising blue; stalk 5-15 cm long, 2-6 cm thick at apex, yellow but sometimes with brownish stains, upper part finely reticulated, usually somewhat bulbous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B. appendiculatus (B. regius is similar but has a rose colored cap)

(13) Pores white to yellow, not staining blue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

(14) Cap whitish, 6-25 cm broad, convex, dry, flesh whitish, usually not blueing; pores whitish becoming yellow; stalk 6-20 cm long, 2-6 cm thick, colored like cap, upper part reticulated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B. barrowsii

(14) Cap darker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

(15) Cap dark brown when young and covered with a white bloom, later reddish-brown and often blotched with lighter areas, 5-15 cm broad, flesh white, not blueing; pores white at first, later yellow to greenish-yellow; stalk 5-15 cm long, 2-5 cm thick, whitish

but brown in age, reticulated above, bulbous but often equal in age; under oaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B. aereus (B. mottiae)

(15) Cap brown or reddish-brown, 8-30 cm broad, flesh white, not blueing; pores white at first, later yellow to brown; stalk robust (8-25 cm long, 2-7 cm thick), white to buff, reticulated at least over upper portion, bulbous but often equal in age; usually with pines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B. edulis (B. fibrillosus is similar but has a brown fibrillose cap)

Leccinum spp.

Cap reddish to brown, 7-20 cm broad; stalk hard, tough, 8-20 cm long, 1.5-4 cm thick

(sometimes thicker towards base); pores whitish to olive; associated with manzanita

or madrone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L. manzanitae

Suillus spp. (always associated with conifers)

(1) Stalk glandular dots absent; mostly associated with Douglas-fir. . . . . . . . . . . . 2

(1) Stalk glandular dots present; associated with pine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

(2) Cap smooth, reddish-brown, viscid; pores yellowish, not blueing; veil absent; stalk

white, equal, not blueing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S. brevipes

(2) Cap slightly or very fibrillose; veil usually present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

(3) Cap covered with red fibrils, cap background yellowish; pores yellow bruising brown;

stalk base turning blue when cut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S. lakei

(3) Cap with only scattered fibrils (but may later appear smooth) . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

(4) Cap orange-brown to yellowish, viscid; pores may stain brown; ring slight to distinct, yellow-orange to brown in age; stalk base turning blue when cut . . . . . S. caerulescens

(4) Cap yellow to reddish-brown, almost smooth, viscid; similar to S. caerulescens but

veil viscid and brighter yellow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S. ponderosus

(5) Cap smooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

(5) Cap fibrillose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

(6) Cap white, becoming olive-gray, olive, orange, cinnamon, etc. as it ages, very viscid;

pores white when young (often with milky droplets), becoming yellow to brown; stalk white to yellow with brown to red dots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S. pungens

(6) Cap orange-brown, viscid, shiny; pores yellow; stalk yellow, may be stained reddish below, glands reddish-brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S. grannulatus

(7) Cap yellowish to orange, with brown to red fibrils or scales, surface dry but viscid in age or in wet weather, flesh blueing; pores brownish, usually bruising blue; stalk without a veil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S. tomentosus

(7) Cap tan with brown fibrils, surface dry but viscid in age or in wet weather; pores orange-buff, not blueing when bruised; resembles S. tomentosus but does not stain blue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S. fuscotomentosus

Tylopilus pseudoscaber, cap and stalk brown (bruising darker brown), cap 5-16 cm broad; stalk equal, longitudinally streaked; pores brown (may stain blue; often staining wax paper blue in transport); spore print reddish brown

3. Fruiting body tough, usually growing on wood; stalk often absent, off-center or

lateral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Polypores) Aphyllophorales (see page 44)

4. Fruiting body gelatinous or rubbery, usually growing on wood; basidia septate or forked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jelly Fungi

(1) Fruiting body light colored . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

(1) Fruiting body dark colored . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

(2) Fruiting body gelatinous and convoluted when fresh, hard when dry and shriveled. . 3

(2) Fruiting body rubbery and more or less erect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

(3) Fruiting body yellow; stalk tiny, white; basidia bifurcate; spores long and septate . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dacrymyces palmatus

(3) Fruiting body yellow; stalk absent; basidia longitudinally septate; spores simple . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tremella mesenterica

(4) Fruiting body yellow to orange, erect (2-7 cm tall), viscid, branched (antler-like) or unbranched, tips usually forked; basidia Y-shaped; clustered on wood . Calocera viscosa (4) Fruiting body translucent white, 1-6 cm tall; stalk lateral; underside of cap lined with

minute spines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pseudohydnum gelatinosum

(5) Fruiting body rubbery (when fresh), thin, brown, ear-like, 2-15 cm broad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Auricularia auricula

(5) Fruiting body gelatinous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

(6) Fruiting body black, lobed, and gelatinous, small but fusing with others to form rows; basidia longitudinally septate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Exidia glandulosa

(6) Fruiting body brown, wavy, and seaweed-like (not ear-like) . . . . Tremella foliacea

4. Fruiting body with spore-bearing teeth (Hydnums), coral-like (Coral Fungi), vase-shaped with thick, blunt gills (Chanterelles), or crustlike or sheetlike and usually on wood (Crust Fungi); basidia not as above . . . . . . . . Aphyllophorales (see page 38)

Agarics

1. Spore print white to yellow (green in one) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

1. Spore print another color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 (page 16)

2. Universal veil present, forming a volva (but in Limacella, the slimy universal veil does not form a volva) and often leaving warts or patches on cap . . . . . Amanita spp.

(1) Volva collar-like . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

(1) Volva sac-like. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

(2) Ring absent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

(2) Ring present. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

(3) Cap gray, striate; volva constricted, flaring at top. . . . . . . . . . . . . A. constricta

(3) Cap yellow to creamy, margin striate or not; ring present or absent . . . . A. gemmata

(4) All tissue bruising reddish (often slowly); cap 3-15 cm broad, white but soon flushed red to reddish-brown, cap margin not striate; gills white but staining reddish; ring white, often with reddish tints; stalk 5-15 cm long, 1-4 cm thick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. novinupta (A. rubescens in Arora)

(4) Tissue not bruising reddish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

(5) Partial and universal veils yellow; cap yellow to brown; stalk white to yellow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. aspera (A. franchetii)

(5) Partial veil not yellow (or if yellow then cap red or orange) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

(6) Cap white . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

(6) Cap creamy to brown to red . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

(7) Cap 5-12 cm broad, covered with soft, cottony universal veil tissue; stalk white with powdery scales, ring obvious or indistinct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. silvicola

(7) Cap 7-20 cm broad, covered with obvious erect warts (up to 2 cm broad); stalk deeply rooted, ring skirtlike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. magniverrucata (A. cokeri is similar but has smaller warts (up to 5 mm broad))

(8) Cap bright red (fading orange) with white warts, striate; volva scaly; ring skirt-like; gills white . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. muscaria

(8) Cap creamy to gray to brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

(9) Cap yellow to creamy, 4-10 cm broad, white universal veil tissue as warts or patches, margin striate or not; ring present or absent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. gemmata

(9) Cap tan to brown or gray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

(10) Cap gray to grayish-brown, often with a faint lilac cast, 3-12 cm broad, warts usually grayiish, sometimes wearing off, margin not striate or faintly so; ring skirtlike; stalk gray, at least below ring; volva round and soft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. porphyria

(10) Cap tan to brown, 5-15 cm broad, margin usually striate; ring skirtlike; stalk white; volva with or without a free rim. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. pantherina

(11) Ring absent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

(11) Ring present. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

(12) Cap orange-buff or paler, 3-12 cm broad, covered partially by white patches, striate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. velosa

(12) Cap gray or brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

(13) Cap brown, 7-20 cm broad, deeply striate; rusty stains often present on the very large volva . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. pachycolea

(13) Cap gray, deeply striate; similar to A. pachycolea but smaller (cap 3-10 cm broad) and cap gray rather than brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. vaginata

(14) Fruiting body all white (but discoloring in age); cap not striate . . . . . . A. ocreata

(14) Cap yellow-brown to greenish to orange; cap striate or not . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

(15) Cap orange to yellow-brown, striate, covered with a thick, cottony, white volval patch; ring skirt-like . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. calyptrata (A. lanei)

(15) Cap greenish to yellow-green to brownish-olive, but variable; cap bald or with a thin white patch, margin not striate; ring skirt-like . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. phalloides

2. Volva not present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

3. Gills free, cap dry, partial veil usually leaving a ring on stalk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lepiota spp. and Chlorophyllum sp.

Note: Chlorophyllum- spores with a germ pore, clamp connections present; Leucoagaricus-

spores with a germ pore, clamp connections absent; Lepiota- spores without a germ pore,

clamp connections present.

(1) Spores green; fruiting body large (cap 10-30 cm broad); in lawns, inland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chlorophyllum molybdites

(1) Spores white . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

(2) Fruiting body medium-sized to large (cap 4-20 cm in diameter) . . . . . . . . . . . 3

(2) Fruiting body small to medium-sized (cap less than 8 cm in diameter) . . . . . . . . 4

(3) Cap 4-10 cm broad, usually smooth, white to buff; some specimens stain or age

yellow or brown; in grass . . . . . . . . . . . . L. naucina (Leucoagaricus leucothites)

(3) Cap 5-20 cm broad, smooth when young, soon breaking up into brown to reddish scales; stalk flesh bruising reddish; stalk terminating in a swollen base or bulb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L. rachodes (Chlorophyllum rachodes)

(4) Fruiting body bright yellow; in gardens, greenhouses, flower pots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L. lutea (Leucocoprinus birnbaumii)

(4) Fruiting body basically whitish, usually with a brown, black, or red center . . . . . 5

(5) Fruiting body bruising reddish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

(5) Fruiting body not discoloring red when bruised. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

(6) Cap whitish with dark brown scales and dark brown center; all parts of fruiting body bruising reddish (then often dark brown) . . . L. roseifolia (Leucoagaricus roseifolius)

(6) Similar to L. roseifolia but gills not staining when bruised . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L. flammeatincta (Leucoagaricus flammeotinctus)

(7) Stalk shaggy, cottony, or scaly below the ring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

(7) Stalk smooth above and below the ring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

(8) Stalk shaggy or cottony below the veil; cap whitish with a smooth brown center, otherwise coarsely scaly, 2-8 cm broad; ring not well developed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L. clypeolaria (L. magnispora, synonym= L. ventriosospora)

(8) Stalk covered with distinct, small brown scales below the ring, which quickly disappears; cap covered with brownish scales on an ochre background, cap 1-3 cm broad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L. castanea

(9) Cap at first pink, then breaking up into radiating red fibrils on whitish background,

center reddish, smooth; ring persistent . . . L. rubrotincta (Leucoagaricus rubrotinctus)

(9) Cap center black, brown, tan or pale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

(10) Cap white with black fibrils, center blackish, cap 1-5 cm broad; stalk 2.5 cm long, 3-7 mm thick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L. atrodisca (Leucoagaricus atrodiscus)

(10) Cap center brown or tan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

(11) Cap surface breaking up into brown scales that are often concentrically zoned, center remaining brown; cap 2-7 cm in diameter; stalk 2-8 cm long, 2-5 mm thick, ring fragile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L. cristata

(11) Cap smooth and white (but may be tan in center); cap 2-4 cm in diameter; stalk 2-7 cm long, 2-5 mm thick, ring membranous . L. sequoiarum (Leucoagaricus sequoiarum)

3. Veil absent, or if present then gills usually attached to stalk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

4. Gills decurrent and fold-like, fruiting body vase-shaped . . . . Chanterelles (page 39)

4. Gills blade-like . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

5. Fruiting body rigid and brittle (snaps clean like chalk due to sphaerocysts), often robust; spores with amyloid warts or ridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Russulaceae

(1) Gills and/or flesh exuding a latex when broken . . . . . . . . . . . Lactarius spp.

(1) Latex red or orange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

(1) Latex white or watery-white . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

(2) Latex orange, cap viscid but soon dry, orange, often zoned, greenish stained in age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L. deleciosus

(2) Latex red; cap viscid, orange or tan, often zoned, greenish stained in age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L. rubrilacteus

(3) Latex yellowing after exposure to air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

(3) Latex unchanging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

(4) Latex quickly changing to yellow (within 45 seconds) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

(4) Latex slowly changing to yellow (more than 90 seconds) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

(5) Cap 2-8 cm broad, cinnamon-buff to reddish, faintly zoned or azonate, dry to slightly viscid; stalk 2-8 cm long, 7-15 mm wide, not scrobiculate; taste mild or slightly acrid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L. chrysorheus and L. vinaceorufescens (L. xanthogalactus)

(5) Cap pale yellow to ochre, 5-15 cm broad, margin bearded or not; stalk scrobiculate (pitted with spots); taste mild or acrid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L. scrobiculatus

(6) Cap 2-5 cm broad, orange to brownish-orange, azonate, viscid; stalk 4-8 cm tall, 5-10 mm wide, dry; taste slowly slightly acrid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L. substriatus

(6) Cap dark grayish brown to light brown, azonate, 3-8 cm broad, viscid; gills whitish, slowly staining brown when cut or in age; stalk colored like cap, smooth, viscid to slimy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L. pseudomucidus

(7) Cap flesh bruising lilac; latex staining wounded tissue lilac . . . . . . . . . . . 8 (7) Cap neither colored nor bruising lilac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

(8) Cap buff to lilac-gray, viscid, 3-10 cm broad, sometimes faintly zoned; stalk viscid when moist but soon dry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L. uvidus

(8) Cap and stalk white and viscid, cap 3-10 cm broad . . . . . . . . . . . . L. pallescens

(9) Fruiting body pink, reddish, rusty-orange, or orange. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

(9) Fruiting body lacking red or orange tones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

(10) Cap margin bearded at least when young; cap 4-12 cm broad, pinkish-orange, orange, to brownish-orange, fibrillose, zonate, pileipellis an ixocutis; taste very acrid; latex scanty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L. subvillosus

(10) Cap margin not bearded, cap smooth, azonate; pileipellis not an ixocutis but may be viscid; taste mild or acrid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

(11) Cap viscid, 2-5 cm broad, bright red when young fading to orange to orange-brown, pileipellis an ixotrichodermium with inflated basal cells; latex white; taste slowly, slightly acrid; under oaks and pines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L. subflammeus

(11) Cap dry to moist but not viscid; pileipellis not as above . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

(12) Cap 1.5-4 cm broad, rusty-brown, dry, pileipellis a palisade of clavate cells; latex watery-white; stalk often hollow, brittle; taste mild; odor like maple syrup, especially upon drying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L. fragilis (L. rubidus)

(12) Latex white (not watery white); odor indistinctive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

(13) Cap 3-7 cm broad, reddish-brown, pileipellis a palisade of clavate cells; taste slightly acrid; under oaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L. rufulus

(13) Cap 3-10 cm broad, reddish-brown, pileipellis a simple cutis; taste very acrid; under Bishop pine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L . rufus

(14) Stalk dry or moist but not viscid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

(14) Stalk viscid to slimy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

(15) Cap yellow-brown to light brown, 7-25 cm broad, faintly zoned, viscid; latex white, staining wounded tissue dingy brown; gills whitish becoming buff or darker; stalk white or buff, sometimes with yellow-brown stains; taste slowly acrid . . . L. argillaceifolius

(15) Cap yellow, 5-20 cm broad, zonate, viscid; latex white (slowly staining tissue yellow); stalk spotted yellow-brown; taste very acrid . . . . . . . . . . . . . L. alnicola

(16) Cap dark grayish brown to light brown, azonate, 3-7 cm broad, viscid; latex white, slowly drying yellow, slowly staining gills brownish; stalk colored like cap, smooth, up to 1.5 cm wide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L. pseudomucidus

(16) Cap brown to dark brown, azonate, 5-15 cm broad, viscid; latex white, slowly drying gray-green; gills pale orange, staining light brown where cut; stalk scrobiculate, light orange to grayish orange, up to 3 cm wide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L. kauffmanii

(1) Flesh not exuding a latex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Russula spp.

(in this key, pileocystidia by definition stain gray to blue in sulfovanillin, primordial hyphae possess incrustations that retain the red color of basic fuchsin after destaining with hydrochloric acid, and free hyphal tips of the pileopellis, which do not generally stain distinctively, are rarely used as a diagnostic feature. See page 58 for spore descriptions)

(1) Short gills of varying lengths (i.e., not fully extending between stalk and cap margin) regularly alternating with long gills and fruiting body hard and rigid (especially the stalk); cap cuticle generally inseparable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

(1) Short gills absent or if present, not regularly alternating with long gills; fruiting body typically not hard and rigid; cap cuticle usually, but not always, separable . . . . . . . . 9

(2) Context not changing color when bruised; cap and stalk mostly white . . . . . . . . 3

(2) Context changing color to pink, red, gray, or black when bruised; cap whitish when young and uninjured but soon becoming gray, brown, or black . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

(3) Fruiting body all white (sometimes with brownish spots in age) . . . . . . . . . . . 4

(3) Fruiting body with greenish tints on gills or a greenish band at the apex of the stalk . 5

(4) Cap 5-12 cm broad with depressed center; gills adnate to decurrent, white; taste quickly and strongly acrid; spores 6.5-8.2 X 5.5-6.58 µm, A2-B2, ornaments 0.6-1.0 µm high . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. cascadensis

(4) Cap 7-30 cm broad with depressed center; gills adnate to decurrent, white; taste slowly acrid; spores 8-10.5 X 6.5-9 µm, A3-B3, ornaments 0.3-1.3 µm high . R. brevipes

(5) Fruiting body 7-30 cm broad (similar to R. brevipes in all respects except green tints, which may fade to white). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. chloroides

(5) Fruiting body 5-12 cm broad (tentative estimation); the greenish tinge to gills or at the apex of the stalk may fade to white; spores A3-B3 . . . . . . . . R. brevipes var. acrior

(6) Gills pinkish at maturity, bruising reddish-brown but not blackening, close to subdistant; pileus 6-10 cm broad, white aging gray to black, usually dry (aerolate in some); pileocystidia present; stipe usually eccentric, white, becoming pinkish and finally brown with pink tones, context pink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. eccentrica

(6) Gills when bruised changing directly to black or changing to red then black; pileocystidia absent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

(7) Context changing to dark gray or black when bruised (no red interphase); cap surface unpolished with a matted finish (sometimes areolate in age), 6-17 cm broad; context rapidly darkening; cuticle 25-150 µm thick; spores 7-10 x 5-7 µm, warts < 0.2 µm high, C1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. albonigra

(7) Context changing to pink or red then gray or black when bruised . . . . . . . . . . 8

(8) Gills thick and distant (2-3 mm apart); cap 8-20 cm broad, white but soon black, subviscid drying to a dull, matted finish, often areolate in age, cuticle <150 µm thick, hyphae of cuticle embedded in a gel matrix; taste variable; spores 6-8 x 5-7 µm, warts to 0.4 µm high, D1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. nigricans

(8) Gills close to crowded; cap 5-12 cm broad, white but soon black, viscid, shiny when dry, cuticle generally greater than 150 µm thick, hyphae embedded in a gel matrix, few free hyphal tips; spores 7.5-9.5 x 6.5-7.5 µm, warts to 0.5 µm high . . . . R. densifolia

(9) Spores white to cream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

(9) Spores yellow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

(10) Taste mild; pileocystidia present or absent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

(10) Taste acrid; pileocystidia present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Spores white, taste mild:

(11) Cap uniformly dark yellow-brown or gray-brown, becoming dark brown, 6-12 cm broad; pileocystidia absent; some gills forked and anastomosed near stalk; stalk white, sometimes with purplish tints in age; spores A1-B1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. brunneola

(11) Cap lilac or purple or a mixture of purple, blue, olive, and wine . . . . . . . . . 12

(12) Cap robust (8-14 cm broad), lilac, but becoming a mixture of lilac, olive, and wine in age, margin smooth; pileocystidia present, primordial hyphae absent; gills white to cream (some short), soft and flexible; stalk white or white tinged lilac; spores B1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. cyanoxantha

(12) Cap smaller (3-8 cm broad), light purple, center often darker, striate, fragile; pileocystidia absent, incrustations on primordial hyphae present; stalk white; spores very pale yellow (which can appear white in a light deposit), A2-B1-B2 . . . . . . R. lilacea

Spores white, taste acrid:

(13) Cap white or yellow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

(13) Cap pink, red, or variegated (mixture of yellow, olive, violet, or purple) . . . . . 16

(14) Cuticle thick, rubbery, elastic, and translucent, cap cream to yellow, 3-8 cm broad; not or slightly striate; stalk white; cap, stalk, and context bruising brown; spores A2-B2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. crassotunicata

(14) Cuticle not thick and rubbery; tissue unchanging when bruised . . . . . . . . . . 15

(15) Cap pale yellow (but traces of other colors usually present), 3-7 cm broad; stalk white; sometimes mildly acrid; odor fruity; spores cream, C2-D2 . . . . . . . R. fragilis

(15) Cap pale yellow, 4-10 cm broad; stalk white; sharply acrid; odor none; spores B1-B2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. cremoricolor

(16) Cap red (but may fade to yellow in age), 4-10 cm broad, margin usually striate in age, cuticle separable ½ the distance to the center of cap; stalk white; spores B1-B2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. cremoricolor (red phase)

(16) Cap pink or pink and yellow or variegated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

(17) Cap bright pink with or without red tinges or blotches, 4-10 cm broad, margin usually striate in age, cuticle separable ½ the distance to the center of cap; stalk white; spores B1-B2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. cremoricolor (pink phase)

(17) Cap a mixture of colors or variegated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

(18) Cap variegated, purple in center, otherwise olive or yellow with vinaceous, red, or purple spots, sometimes yellow throughout, 3-7 cm broad; stalk white to pale yellow; odor fruity; spores cream, C2-D2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. fragilis

(18) Cap yellow on the disk, copper-red on the margin and/or flushed with bright pink (but sometimes yellow overall), 4-8 cm broad, margin usually striate, cuticle separable to ¼ the distance to the center of cap; stalk white; odor none; spores white, B2 . . R. bicolor

(19) Taste mild; primordial hyphae present or absent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

(19) Taste acrid; primordial hyphae absent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Spores yellow, taste mild:

(20) Cap green, yellow, or brown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

(20) Cap pink, red, or purple. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

(21) Cap greenish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

(21) Cap yellow or brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

(22) Cap olive-green to pale yellow-brown, 6-15 cm broad, margin smooth or weakly striate in age, cuticle separable 1/3 the distance to the center of cap; pileocystidia present; gills brown in age; odor of fish or shrimp; FeSO₄staining surface of stalk dark gray to dark green; stalk pink, white, or white tinged pink or purple, context slowly staining yellow then brown; spores B3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. elaeodes

(22) No odor of shrimp; FeSO₄ not staining surface of stalk dark gray to dark green; and stalk context not staining brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

(23) Cap olive-green or olive-brown, purple to wine-red in age, 10-30 cm broad, robust, very firm, margin smooth, cuticle separable only at margin; pileocystidia absent; gills cream to pale yellow; stalk white or tinged pink, often with rusty spots near base; spores 8-12 x 6.5-9 µm, A2-A3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. olivacea

(23) Cap green or gray-green, often yellowish in the center, fading to olive- or light gray-brown throughout in age, 6-12 cm broad, cuticle separable 1/2 the distance to the center of cap; pileocystidia present; stalk white; spores B2 . . . . . . . . . . . . R. aeruginea

(24) Cap yellowish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

(24) Cap brownish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

(25) Cap yellow, 5-9 cm broad, margin smooth or weakly striate in age, cuticle separable 1/3 the distance to the center of cap; pileocystidia present; gills brown in age; odor of fish or shrimp; FeSO₄staining surface of stalk dark gray to dark green; stalk pink, white, or white tinged pink or purple, context slowly staining yellow then brown; spores B2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. grundii

(25) No odor of fish; context not bruising brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

(26) Cap pale yellow to dingy-white, sometimes with pinkish or orange tones (or pink throughout when young) and developing brown blotches in age, 4-9 cm broad, margin smooth, often firm, cuticle separable for only a short distance (1/4 or less to center of cap); pileocystidia present; gills usually forking abundantly at the stalk; taste bitter; stalk white or occasionally tinged pink; spores C1-D1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. basifurcata

(26) Gills not forking; cap yellow, often with undertones of lilac and/or gray, 3-8 cm broad, fragile, striate when older; pileocystidia absent, incrustations on primordial hyphae present; odor mild to fruity; stalk white, sulfovanillin-positive caulocystidia present; spores C2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. amygdaloides

(also see R. chamaeleontina, below)

(27) Cap deep brown, fading lighter brown with a purplish cast, 4-14 cm broad, fragile in age, margin not striate or barely so; pileocystidia uncommon, incrustations on primordial hyphae present but uncommon; stalk white, unchanging when bruised; spores A3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. integra

(27) Incrustations on primordial hyphae absent; cap either very firm or conspicuously striate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

(28) Cap and stalk very firm; cap reddish-brown fading to yellow-brown to yellow, smooth to matte, 8-12 cm broad; pileocystidia scarce and weakly sulfovanillin-positive; stalk dry, whitish; spores C1-C2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. mustelina

(28) Cap fragile, yellow-brown to brown, 3-8 cm broad, sticky, conspicuously striate; pileocystidia absent; stalk whitish, often brownish near base; odor fruity but becoming unpleasant in age, taste mild to mildly acrid; spores C1-C2 . . . . . . . . R. amoenolens

(29) Cap pink or salmon, often with yellow overtones or yellow areas . . . . . . . . . 30

(29) Cap red or purplish, at least in young specimens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

(30) Cap pink, pinkish brown, or yellowish salmon, fading to yellow in age, surface matte, 4-9 cm broad; pileocystidia absent, incrustations on primordial hyphae present; odor mild to fruity; stalk white with yellowish stains in age; spores dark yellow, B2-B3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. chamaeleontina

(30) Cap pink or peach with yellow blotches in age or yellow overall with a pink or lilac band around margin, 3-8 cm broad, striate when older, fragile; pileocystidia absent, incrustations on primordial hyphae present; odor mild to fruity; stalk white, sulfovanillin-positive caulocystidia present; spores C2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. amygdaloides

(31) Cap red or burgundy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

(31) Cap purplish or vinaceous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

(32) Cap red or burgundy, 6-15 cm broad, margin smooth or weakly striate in age, cuticle separable 1/3 the distance to the center of cap; pileocystidia present; gills brown in age; odor of fish or shrimp; FeSO₄staining surface of stalk dark gray to dark green; stalk pink, white, or white tinged pink or purple, context slowly staining yellow then brown; spores B2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. xerampelina

(32) Cap red, typically less than 9 cm broad, no odor of shrimp; context not browning. 33

(33) Pileocystidia present, incrustations on primordial hyphae absent . . . . . . . . . . 34

(33) Pileocystidia absent, incrustations on primordial hyphae present . . . . . . . . . . 35

(34) Cap bright red, sometimes with yellow areas in age, 4-7 cm broad, cuticle separating to center; stalk pink to red; taste mild, slowly becoming weakly acrid; spores C1-C3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. rhodopoda

(34) Cap deep red to rosy-purple, 3-8 cm broad, margin smooth, slightly striate in age, cuticle separable 2/3 the distance to the center of cap; stalk white; spores dark yellow, C2-D2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. cessans

(35) Cap red mixed with yellow, 3-8 cm broad, fragile, strongly striate, at least in age; odor mild to fruity; stalk white, sulfovanillin-positive caulocystidia present; spores C2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. amygdaloides

(35) Cap rose but usually developing yellow areas, sometimes becoming mostly yellow with just small areas of red, 4-10 cm broad, not fragile, not striate or only slightly so; stalk white sometimes with pale lavender tints toward the base; spores pale yellow, B1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. rosea

(36) Cap purple (but variable- generally uniformly purple or grayish purple, sometimes with yellow areas in age), 6-15 cm broad, margin smooth or weakly striate in age, cuticle separable 1/3 the distance to the center of cap; pileocystidia present; gills brown in age; odor of fish or shrimp; FeSO₄staining surface of stalk dark gray to dark green; stalk pink, white, or white tinged pink or purple, context slowly staining yellow then brown; spores B2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. xerampelina

(36) No odor of shrimp; context not browning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

(37) Cap 10-30 cm broad, robust, very firm, vinaceous with olive tints, margin smooth, cuticle separable only at margin; pileocystidia absent; gills cream to pale yellow; stalk white or tinged pink, often with rusty spots near base; spores 8-12 x 6.5-9 µm, A2-A3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. olivacea

(37) Cap smaller; either pileocystidia or incrustations on primordial hyphae present. . 38

(38) Pileocystidia absent, incrustations on primordial hyphae present . . . . . . . . . . 39

(38) Pileocystidia present, incrustations on primordial hyphae absent . . . . . . . . . 41

(39) Spores very pale yellow (sometimes almost white); cap light purple, reddish purple, or light maroon, center often darker, 3-7 cm broad, striate, fragile; stalk white; spores A2-B1-B2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. lilacea

(39) Spores dark yellow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

(40) Cap purple or reddish-violet, 7-10 cm broad, short striate, cuticle separable ½ the distance to the center of cap; stalk white (not staining or aging brown), iodoform odor sometimes present at stalk base; spores D1-D2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. turci

(40) Cap violet to vinaceous, 6-10 cm broad, short-striate, cuticle separable with difficulty; stalk white, often staining brown when bruised or with age; spores B2-C2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. amethystina

(41) Cap pink or clearly variegated, a mixture of reddish purple or greenish-purple or rosy-brown with a brown, blackish, or olive center, 3-7 cm broad, striate; stalk white; spores bright yellow-ochre, B2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. abietina

(41) Cap not pink or variegated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

(42) Cap grayish purple (fading in age and sometimes becoming olivaceous at center) with a white surface bloom, resulting in a delicate velvet-like layer (pruinose), 4-6 cm broad, surface dry (matte finish), not or only slightly striate; stalk white; spores very pale yellow (cream), C2-D2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. parazurea

(42) Cap not obviously pruinose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

(43) Cap solid deep purple, margin smooth, 2-7 cm broad; stalk white; spores yellow, C1-D1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. murrillii

(43) Cap color primarily purple, but other colors may be present (rose or wine or yellow) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

(44) Cap rosy-purple, 3-8 cm broad, margin smooth, slightly striate in age, cuticle separable 2/3 the distance to the center of cap; stalk white; spores dark yellow, C2-D2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. cessans

(44) Cap purplish-red or vinaceous-violet with yellow blotches in center, 6-10 cm broad, depressed in age, margin inrolled becoming lobed, cuticle hardly separable; pileocystidia present but few; spores yellow, C2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. curtipes

Spores yellow, taste acrid:

(45) Cap basically white, yellow, or brown; pileocystidia present or absent . . . . . . 46

(45) Cap pink, red, wine, or purplish; pileocystidia present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

(46) Cap whitish (but may have faint other colors) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

(46) Cap brownish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

(47) Cap white to grayish-white or white with a slight tinge of lilac, 3.5-10 cm broad, slightly striate; stalk white; usually fruiting on well-rotted conifer logs; spores very pale yellow, B2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. stuntzii

(47) Cap lacking gray or lilac tinges; generally not fruiting on rotted logs. . . . . . . . 48

(48) Cap white (becoming pale yellow in age), 4-8 cm broad, smooth to slightly striate, cuticle not easily separable; pileocystidia present; stalk white; spores cream to very pale yellow, C2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. albidula

(48) Cap white to grayish white or pale yellow, often with a narrow rose margin; cuticle not easily separable or for only a short distance; cap margin smooth; pileocystidia present; stalk white, rarely tinged pink; taste weakly acrid; spores cream to very pale yellow, B2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. exalbicans

(49) Cap 5-15 cm broad, yellow-brown, flat, conspicuously striate; pileocystidia present; stalk whitish, becoming brownish stained; taste bitter at first, then acrid; odor strongly of almonds, fetid in age; spores C2-C3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. fragrantissima

(49) Cap yellow-brown to smoky-brown, 3-8 cm broad, sticky, conspicuously striate; pileocystidia absent; stalk whitish, often brownish near base; odor fruity but becoming unpleasant in age, taste mild to mildly acrid; spores C1-C2 . . . . . . . R. amoenolens

(50) Cap red or pink with yellow blotches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

(50) Cap red, wine, or purplish or variegated. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

(51) Cap generally < 4 cm broad, pink to rose with yellow blotches, plane to depressed in age, striate, cuticle not separating or barely so; stalk white, 4-5 cm long; spores B2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. ellenae

(51) Cap 6-10 cm broad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

(52) Cap light red to pink to peach with a broad yellow or yellowish-peach center; stalk white, sometimes with pink blush; taste slowly very acrid spores pale yellow, B1-B2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. tenuiceps

(52) Cap rosy to grayish white or pale yellow, often with a narrow rose margin; cuticle not easily separable or for only a short distance; cap margin smooth; stalk white, rarely tinged pink; taste weakly acrid; spores cream to very pale yellow, B1-C1 . R. exalbicans

(53) Stalk distinctly pink, red, or purple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

(53) Stalk white or may have slight tinge of pink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

(54) Cap reddish-purple to purple, becoming variegated in age but remaining purplish in center, 4-10 cm broad, margin slightly striate, cuticle separable 2/3 the distance to the center of cap; stalk red or purple, sometimes lightly so; odor fruity; taste slightly acrid to acrid; spores pale yellow, A2-A3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. queletii

(54) Cap coral or red, stalk pink to red . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

(55) Cap coral (red with yellow blotches in age), 3-6 cm broad, margin striate in age, cuticle not easily separable or for only a short distance; stalk white with a bright coral blush; odor fruity; taste slowly very acrid; spores pale yellow, warts 0.5-0.7 µm high, B2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. sp. (undescribed)

(55) Cap red . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

(56) Cap red to scarlet, 4-10 cm broad, smooth to striate in age, cuticle separating with difficulty; stalk pink to red; taste distinctly acrid; spores A2-B2 . . . . . R. sanguinea

(56) Cap bright red, sometimes with yellow areas, 4-7 cm broad, cuticle separating to center; stalk pink to red; taste mild, slowly becoming weakly acrid; spores C1-C3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. rhodopoda

(57) Cap variegated, purple in center, otherwise olive or yellow with vinaceous, red, or purple spots, sometimes yellow throughout, 3-7 cm broad; stalk white to pale yellow; odor fruity; spores white to cream, C2-D2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. fragilis

(57) Spores pale to dark yellow; odor not fruity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

(58) Cap purple gray or purple-brown, fading to olive in places, 3-7 cm broad; stalk white; spores yellow to ochre, A3-A2 (B3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. firmula

(58) Cap red . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

(59) Cap brick red (with yellow spots in age), 6-15 cm broad; taste acrid but mild in age; stalk white but grayish in age or where bruised; especially common under Monterey pines and may be limited to that tree, so it is not expected to be present at Salt Point; spores C2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. californiensis

(59) Stalk not bruising or aging gray; cap brick red, becoming yellow in center, 6-11 cm broad, striate in age; stalk white or tinged pink, not changing where bruised; all tissue very fragile in age; taste slowly very acrid; spores pale yellow, B1-B2 . . . R. tenuiceps

(R. punicea, which may be limited to Sitka spruce forests and therefore not to be expected at Salt Point, is identical except for an all white stalk with little if any yellowing in the cap. The ornaments on its spores are shorter (0.3-0.7 µm) than those of R. tenuiceps (0.7-1.5 µm))

5. Flesh usually fibrous or cartilaginous or thin and fragile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

6. Gills waxy (basidia long and narrow) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hygrophoraceae

(note: Hygrophorus, Hygrocybe, and Camarophyllus possess divergent, parallel, and

interwoven gill trama tissue, respectively)

(1) Cap yellow, orange, pink, or red, at least in part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

(1) Cap another color, including white or creamy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

(2) Cap yellow or orange, at least in part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

(2) Cap pink or red. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

(3) Fruiting body whitish except for yellow flakes on cap (especially margin) and/or stalk apex; cap 2.5-8 cm broad, viscid; stalk 3-10 cm long, 0.5-2 cm thick, sometimes yellow throughout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hygrophorus chrysodon

(3) Cap yellow or orange (but staining black in one species) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

(4) Gills decurrent (at least in age) to adnate; cap orange fading to yellow-orange, 2-6 cm broad, convex to centrally depressed in age, viscid; stalk white to yellow, 3-10 cm long, sometimes with a slight ring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H. speciosus

(4) Gills adnexed to free; cap yellow or orange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

(5) Cap convex to plane (not conical), bright yellow, viscid, 2-7 cm broad; gills yellow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hygrocybe flavescens

(5) Cap conical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

(6) Cap yellow, conical, viscid, 2-7 cm broad; gills yellow . . . . . . . . H. acutoconica

(6) Cap yellow (to orange), conical, viscid, 1-6 cm broad; fruiting body staining black when handled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H. conica

(7) Cap pink to salmon, sharply concial, umbonate in age, 2-7 cm broad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H. calyptraeformis

(7) Cap red or at least streaked reddish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

(8) Cap more than 4 cm broad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

(8) Cap less than 4 cm broad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

(9) Cap 4-12 cm broad, bright red fading orange, viscid; gills yellow to red; stalk red or yellow, dry, longitudinally striate and fibrillose, base white or sometimes yellow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H. punicea

(9) Cap 5-13 cm broad, vinaceous-pink streaked with vinaceous fibrils, viscid when wet; gills white, pink in age; stalk dry, white, soon stained pink. . . . . Hygrophorus russula

(10) Cap minute (less than 1.5 cm broad), scarlet to orange, slightly viscid; gills decurrent, whitish to pale yellow; stalk thin (2 mm); under redwoods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hygrocybe subminiata

(10) Cap 1-4 cm broad; stalk >2 mm thick; gills not decurrent or barely so. . . . . . . 11

(11) Cap bright red (not fading appreciably), convex to plane, 1.5-4 cm broad, dry or tacky; stalk red with a yellow base, dry, smooth (unlike H. punicea, above) . H. coccinea

(11) Cap bright red fading orange to yellow, convex to plane, often less than 2.5 cm broad (but to 4 cm) hygrophanous but not viscid; stalk red then fading orange, dry . . H. miniata

(12) Cap green . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

(12) Cap another color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

(13) Cap 1-2 cm broad, viscid; stalk 2-4 mm thick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H. psittacina

(13) Cap 2-5 cm broad, moist but not viscid; stalk 4-8 mm thick . . . . . . . H. virescens

(14) Cap white. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

(14) Cap dull orange to brownish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

(15) Stalk viscid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

(15) Stalk not viscid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

(16) Cap (2-7 cm broad) and stalk (4-15 cm long, 0.3-1 cm thick) white and very viscid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hygrophorus eburneus

(16) Cap (4-10 cm broad) and stalk (2-6 cm long, 1-2.5 cm thick) white to creamy, viscid, the cap often yellowish toward the center (stalk thicker and stouter than H. eburneus) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H. gliocyclus

(17) Cap (1-3 cm broad) and stalk white, not viscid; gills decurrent; stalk (3-10 cm long, 2-5 mm thick) often sinuous, odor of cedar . . . . . . . . Camarophyllus russocoriaceus

(17) Cap larger (5-20 cm broad) and viscid (but soon dry), tinged buff in age, margin at first inrolled; stalk 6-10 cm long, 1.5-4 cm thick . . . . . . . . . Hygrophorus sordidus

(18) Cap dull orange, convex, not viscid, 2-9 cm broad; gills decurrent . . . C. pratensis

(18) Cap brownish and viscid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

(19) Cap 4-15 cm broad, reddish-brown to yellow-brown, the margin often paler; gills white to tinged pink, usually decurrent; stalk 4-15 cm long, white to tinged pink, dry; odor of almonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H. bakerensis

(19) Stalk viscid; no odor of almonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

(20) Cap brownish but usually with yellowish or olive tones, 2-8 cm broad; gills cream to pale yellow, decurrent; lower stalk viscid; associated with pines . . . . . . H. hypothejus

(20) Cap brown to yellow-brown, 3-12 cm broad; gills white; stalk whitish above annular zone, colored like cap below, with a fibrillose layer below a viscid layer (the fibrils breaking up into irregular bands in age); under redwoods or spruce . . . . . H. persoonii

6. Gills not waxy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tricholomataceae (page 23)

7. Spores pink to red . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

7. Spores some other color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

8. Universal veil present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pluteaceae

Free gills; no ring; volva present; cap 5-15 cm broad, grayish; often fruiting in cultivated

soils . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Volvariella speciosa

8. Universal veil absent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

9. Gills free, partial veil absent, growing on wood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pluteaceae

(1) Cap whitish with small brown fibrils, firm, 4-14 cm broad; gills broad, white for a long time, then pink; in clusters on wood chips in gardens, along roads, etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pluteus petasatus

(1) Cap brownish; growing in woods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

(2) Stalk yellow (at least in age) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

(2) Stalk not yellow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

(3) Cap brown to olive-brown, 2-5 cm broad, smooth or wrinkled; stalk pale yellow with a brighter yellow base, 2-7 cm long; on rotting hardwood . . . . . . . . . . P. lutescens

(3) Cap brown fading to yellow with a brown center, 2-7 cm broad, velvety to minutely granulose; stalk whitish when young becoming yellow in age, 4-11 cm long; on rotting hardwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. flavofulgineus

(4) Cap brownish-gray, streaked, 3-12 cm broad; gill edges dark brown; on conifer wood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. atromarginatus

(4) Cap brown; gills not marginate, 3-12 cm broad; horned cystidia on gill faces; on wood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. cervinus

9. Gills attached . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

10. Spores pale pink, not angular . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tricholomataceae

(1) Cap 4-14 cm broad, purple, lubricous, cap margin inrolled, stalk purple, base covered with purplish mycelium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Clitocybe nuda (Lepista nuda)

(1) Fruiting body like C. nuda except watering brown to tan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. brunneocephala (L. brunneocephala)

(also see Tricholomataceae, page 23, for other species with pale pink spores)

10. Spores deeper red, angular . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Entolomataceae

(1) Gills decurrent (but sometimes adnate); cap white to gray; stalk central or off-center, often tapered to a narrow base; odor of fresh meal . . . . . . . . . . Clitopilus prunulus

(1) Gills generally adnate, adnexed, or notched. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

(2) Stalk slender and cartilaginous; fruiting body smallish (cap less than 7 cm broad) . 3

(2) Stalk fleshy; fruiting body size moderate to robust (cap to 12 cm or more broad) . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Entoloma spp.

(a) Cap blue-gray, streaked, often broadly umbonate; stalk blue-gray, lighter towards base . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E. madidum (E. bloxami)

(a) Cap gray to tan: stalk whitish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . b

(b) Cap gray to brown, convex becoming plane; odor bleach-like . E. nidorosum

(b) Cap tan, smooth, often broadly umbonate; odor mild . . . . . E. rhodopolium

(3) Stalk hollow and easily splitting; cap smooth, grayish or brownish, usually umbonate

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nolanea spp.

(a) Odor mild; cap 2-4 cm broad, becoming plane or with a slight umbo, smooth, hygrophanous, brownish when moist, paler or grayer with a silky, often streaked appearance when dry; stalk short (3-6 cm), fragile, longitudinally striate; on lawns but sometimes in woods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N. sericea

(a) Odor farinaceous or like cucumbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . b

(b) Cap 2.5-7 cm broad, gray to brown, conical to convex, usually with a distinct umbo; stalk long (5-15 cm) and straight, splitting easily; spores elliptical-angular; in woods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N. stricta

(b) Cap 2-5 cm broad, dark brown to gray-brown, conical to bell-shaped (convex or umbonate in age); spores star-shaped . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N. staurospora

(3) Not as above . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

(4) Cap and stalk metallic blue to black (but some drab) . . . . . . . . . . . Leptonia spp.

(a) Stalk 5 mm or more thick; cap and stalk deep indigo-blue, cap 2.5-7 cm broad,

fibrillose; stalk fibrillose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L. carnea

(a) Stalk 5 mm or less thick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . b

(b) Fruiting body violet-black; cap 1-3.5 cm broad; gills whitish to pink; stalk whitish at apex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L. nigroviolacea

(b) Cap bluish-black to black, 1-4 cm broad; stalk bluish-gray . . . . . . . . . . c

(4) Cap and stalk white (yellowing in age); cap to 4 cm broad; gills attached, adnate to slightly decurrent, becoming pink in age; stalk cartilaginous, 1-4 mm thick; in woods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alboleptonia servicella

11. Spore print purple-brown to chocolate brown to black . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

11. Spore print rusty-orange to rusty-brown to dull-brown to bright brown . . . . . 18

12. Gills decurrent; spore print black . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gomphidiaceae

(1) Cap viscid (when moist) to dry, context yellowish to pale orange . . . . . . . . . . 2

(1) Cap very viscid, context whitish to grayish; lower stalk flesh intensely yellow . . . 4

(2) Cap covered with flattened woolly fibrils (which may be vinaceous tinged), dull orange to yellow-orange, dry; gills colored like cap; stalk 4-18 cm long, 0.5-1.5 cm thick, equal or tapered below . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chroogomphus tomentosus

(2) Cap smooth or nearly so with a clean, crisp appearance, viscid when wet . . . . . . 3

(3) Cap yellow-orange to ochre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. ochraceus

(3) Cap wine-colored; stalk orange to wine-colored; under pines . . . . . . . . C. rutilus (C. vinicolor is similar but has pleurocystidia which are thick-walled, at least in the midportion, whereas those of C. rutilus are thin-walled; C. vinicolor is common under Monterery pines)

(4) Cap pink to red, 3-7 cm broad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gomphidius subroseus

(4) Cap color variable- whitish to vinaceous-gray to reddish-brown, 3-15 cm broad, stained blackish in age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

(5) Gills soft to waxy; veil disappearing; spores over 14 m m long; solitary to scattered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G. glutinosus

(5) Similar to G. glutinosus but always cespitose; stalk rooting; spores less than 14 m m long . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G. oregonensis

12. Gills free to adnate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

13. Gills usually autodigesting; spore print black . . . . . . . . . . . . . Coprinus spp.

(1) Cap 15 cm or more tall, cylindrical, shaggy, with white or brown scales . C. comatus

(1) Cap not cylindrical and/or shorter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

(2) Cap up to 8 cm broad, fairly robust, roundish to oval in shape, becoming bell-shaped, silky, lead gray to brownish; usually in clusters . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. atramentarius

(2) Cap less than 5 cm broad, generally fragile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

(3) Cap grayish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

(3) Cap whitish to tan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

(4) Cap deeply pleated and ribbed, to 3 cm broad; stalk white, 1-3 mm thick; fruiting body very fragile; gills wither rather than deliquesce; short-lived . . . . . . . C. plicatilis

(4) Cap striate nearly to center, to 5 cm broad, at first hairy; stalk white, very fragile; fruiting bodies lasting only a few hours; in leaf litter and woody debris . . . . C. lagopus

(5) Cap minute, 0.5-1.0 cm broad, striate, off-white to honey-brown, bell-shaped; gills not deliquescing; on woody debris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. disseminatus

(5) Cap generally larger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

(6) Cap to 5 cm broad, bell-shaped to convex, tan to yellow-brown (surface with minute glistening white particles when young), striate; cap margin tattered at maturity; stalk white, 2-6 mm thick; gills sometimes only partially deliquescing; gregarious or in clusters on woody debris or buried wood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. micaceus

(6) Cap 1-5 cm broad, oval, whitish to buff (covered with white fibrils when young), striate nearly to center; stalk white, 3-10 mm thick; on wood chips, in gardens, etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. domesticus

13. Gills not autodigesting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

14. Gills free, usually pink when young, veil present, usually forming a ring; spore print chocolate brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Agaricus spp.

(1) Odor of very base of stalk like phenol or library paste when crushed . . . . . . . . . 2

(1) Odor of very base of stalk sweet or like almonds or without an odor. . . . . . . . . 5

(2) Flesh in base of stalk bruising bright yellow; cap, especially the margin, bruising yellow; cap white to gray or white with tan center, smooth; flesh of cap and stalk staining yellow then brownish; cap surface staining yellow in KOH; gills whitish at first; ring large; widespread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. xanthodermus

(2) Flesh in base of stalk not bruising bright yellow (if bruising pale yellow, then cap scaly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

(3) Cap flesh slowly bruising vinaceous-brown (more pronounced in wet weather); cap scales gray-brown to dark brown; cap surface staining yellow in KOH; stalk smooth, base bruising yellow; veil thick; common under redwoods . . . . . . A. praeclaresquamosus

(3) Cap flesh not bruising vinaceous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

(4) Cap white, brownish in center, smooth or fribrillose; flesh unchanging when bruised (or rarely yellowing); cap yellowing in KOH; gills white when young; ring with thickened margin; phenol odor very faint; stalk equal or slightly enlarged at base, not yellowing; widespread, especially suburbia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. californicus

(4) Cap with flattened pale lilac-brown scales; flesh unchanging when bruised or rarely yellowing; cap surface staining yellow in KOH; stalk smooth above and below the thick felt-like ring; stalk base bulbous, turning pale yellow when bruised; in woods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. hondensis

(5) Flesh quickly staining red when bruised; cap 6-10 cm broad, white becoming brownish, fibrillose, especially towards margin; lower surface of the large ring often like a "cogwheel"; stalk white, fibrillose or scaly below ring, bruising red at least in the upper part; odor fruity; under cypress and occasionally pines . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. benesi

(5) Flesh not staining red when bruised . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

(6) Cap smooth or slightly scaly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

(6) Cap fibrillose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

(7) Cap white, smooth (but slightly scaly when dry); flesh not staining when bruised; cap surface not staining yellow in KOH; gills pink when young; ring poorly defined; odor mild or none; in grass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. campestris

(7) Cap white, 5-12 cm broad, mostly smooth, aging yellowish, surface staining yellow in KOH; flesh yellowing slightly when crushed; stalk smooth or with small cottony scales below ring; odor sweet (like anise or almond extract); ring skirt-like; stalk base not staining yellow; in woods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. silvicola

(8) Odor like almond extract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

(8) Odor not as above . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

(9) Cap 8-32 cm broad, yellowish with brown fibrils; young caps marshmallow-shaped; flesh staining yellow; stalk shaggy or scaly; ring large; in clearings in woods, disturbed areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. augustus

(9) Cap 4-7 cm broad, pink to brown with a darker brown center, fibrillose, becoming bright yellow when bruised, especially near margin; stalk white, becoming yellow when bruised; in woods, especially under oak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. semotus

(10) Cap 2-7 cm broad, whitish with a brown layer of fibrils; ring poorly defined or disappearing; stalk short; odor mild; in grass and disturbed areas, often in poor soils . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. cupreobrunneus

(10) Cap to 20 cm broad, whitish covered with purple-brown fibrils; flesh not staining when bruised; cap surface staining greenish in KOH; stipe with conspicuous cottony scales below the ring; odor mild or slightly fruity; in woods . . . . . . A. subrutilescens

14. Not as above . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

15. Cap brightly colored (yellow, red, etc.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Strophariaceae

Naematoloma (Hypholoma) spp., cap not viscid; veil usually not leaving a ring; spore print purple-brown; usually growing on wood, often in large clusters

(1) Cap orange to red; growing scattered to gregarious on wood chips, mulch, etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N. aurantiaca

(1) Cap yellow to greenish-yellow to orange brown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

(2) Cap bright yellow to greenish-yellow to yellow-orange; gills at first yellow to greenish-yellow then purple-brown; taste bitter; growing in tufts or dense clusters on rotting conifers or hardwoods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N. fasciculare

(2) Cap yellow to orange-brown; gills at first gray, then purple-brown; taste mild; growing in clusters on rotting conifers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N. capnoides

Stropharia spp., cap viscid, typically convex to plane; veil forming a ring; spore print purple-black; usually growing on ground in rich humus

(1) Cap yellow, margin with veil remnants; stalk with cottony white scales below ring; in woods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S. ambigua

(1) Cap yellow, rounded (at least when young), margin with veil remnants; stalk smooth below the fragile, fibrillose ring, which sometimes disappears; on rich soils in

gardens, manure, straw, etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S. semiglobata

15. Cap dull (brown, gray, white, etc.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

16. Gills decurrent, cap margin inrolled when young; stalk central or off-center (or absent in one); spore print brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paxillaceae

(1) Stalk lateral to absent; cap fan-shaped, buff, 1.5-10 cm broad, minutely hairy becoming smooth; gills light brown staining dark brown, usually forked; on wood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paxillus panuoides (snynonym= Tapinella panuoides)

(1) Stalk central to off-center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

(2) Cap brown, viscid when moist; gills staining brown; stalk solid, firm . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paxillus involutus

(2) Cap dry, velvety brown (exactly like Boletus subtomentosus); gills thick, bright yellow, usually bruising blue; stalk yellow to reddish-brown Phylloporus rhodoxanthus

16. Not as above . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

17. Cap viscid; cap cuticle filamentous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Strophariaceae

(1) Parts of fruiting body staining blue; cap brown, gray, or buff; spore print purple-brown; in grassy areas and moss and on wood chips and dung. . . . . . Psilocybe spp.

(1) Fruiting body not staining blue; cap tawny with small scales often arranged concentrically, 3-8 cm broad; spore print purple-brown; stalk colored like cap, slender with small scales below the annulus; in riparian environments . . . Stropharia squamosa

17. Cap not viscid; cap cuticle cellular; fruiting body fragile . . . . . . . . Coprinaceae

Panaeolus spp., cap generally brownish; gills brown and mottled; cap conical to bell-shaped; stalk thin and fragile; spore print black (rarely brown); dung and grass inhabiting

Fruiting body brown; gills brown and mottled; cap conical to bell-shaped; stalk long

and thin; spore print dark brown; growing in grass . . . . . . . . . . . . P. foenisecii

Psathyrella spp., cap tan to brown, conical to convex to plane, often hygrophanous; stalk

slender, fragile, whitish; gills often light colored at first but becoming dark brown to black; spore print deep brown or purple-brown; growing on wood or humus

(1) Growing scattered or in clusters in gardens, woody debris, mulch, grass, etc. . 2

(1) Growing in the woods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

(2) Cap 1.5-5 cm broad, yellowish-brown to tan or whitish as it dries, convex in age; cap margin often with veil remnants; stalk 6-10 cm long, 3-5 mm thick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. candolleana

(2) Cap 1-4 cm broad, brown, fading lighter, translucent-striate, campanulate in age; veil absent; stalk 4-10 cm long, 1-3 mm thick. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. gracilis

(3) Cap 2-4.5 cm broad, brown, with appendiculate veil fragments that in age become

colored with maturing spores; clustered at the base of hardwood stumps . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. hydrophilla (P. piluliformis)

(3) Cap 2.5-4 cm broad, brown, fading to whitish as it dries, campanulate in age; cap

margin striate, with evanescent white veil fragments; stalk 6-12 cm long, 3-6 mm

thick; on ground or debris in woods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. longipes

18. Fruiting body small, fragile, often withering quickly, cap conical or bell-shaped, in grass, gardens, or woods; cap cuticle cellular; spore print rusty brown . . . Bolbitiaceae

(1) Cap pale lilac or grayish, deeply striate, 2-4 cm broad; gills pink to cinnamon-brown; stalk 3-7 cm long, 2-3 mm thick, fragile, powdery white to yellow; in woods, on rotting wood, especially oak and madrone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bolbitius aleuriatus

(1) Cap otherwise colored, fruiting on the ground in grassy areas, humus, or on dung . 2

(2) Cap yellow, viscid, soft, and fragile, to 7 cm broad but often much smaller; in grass, on dung, etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B. vitellinus

(2) Cap neither yellow nor viscid, to 2.5 cm broad. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

(3) Cap creamy, conical; gills cinnamon-brown; stalk long, thin, and fragile; on lawns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conocybe lactea

(3) Cap brownish, conical to bell-shaped; gills rusty brown; in grass, woods, and disturbed areas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. tenera

18. Not as above . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

19. Fruiting body small to medium-sized, some fairly robust; cap rounded to convex to plane in age, yellowish-buff to tan, smooth but often cracked or fissured in age; spore print brown; cap cuticle cellular; growing in grass, gardens, or woods . . . Bolbitiaceae

Agrocybe spp., cap creamy, smooth or cracked, dry; spores smooth, often with a broad apical pore

(1) Cap small (up to 3 cm broad), sometimes with whitish veil remnants on margin; stalk 1-3 mm thick, no ring; in lawns, cultivated ground, etc. . . . . . . A. pediades

(1) Cap 3-10 cm broad; veil leaving remnants on cap margin and sometimes a ring; stalk base usually with white mycelium; scattered or in groups on wood chips, in gardens, woods, etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. praecox

19. Not as above; cap cuticle typically filamentous; spore print orange-brown to rusty-brown to dull-brown; largely sylvan . . . . . . . . . . . . Cortinariaceae (see page 31)

Tricholomataceae

1. Stalk absent (or if present then off-center to lateral); growing on wood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pleurotus and relatives and Lentinellus

(1) Gill edges serrated (toothed); cap fan-shaped, dry, brown, hairy . Lentinellus ursinus

(1) Gill edges entire (not serrated) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

(2) Cap and stalk violet when young, fading to tan; cap smooth; gills decurrent; stalk short, central, eccentric, or lateral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Panus conchatus

(2) Fruiting body without violet tones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

(3) Cap pale orange, fuzzy; stalk absent; spores pale pinkish; odor unpleasant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Phyllotopsis nidulans

(3) Cap smooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

(4) Cap brown, shoehorn-like shaped; gills crowded; stalk off-center and continuous with cap; flesh pliant; on lignin-rich soil and wood chips . . . . . . Hohenbuehelia petaloides

(4) Cap white to tan; oyster-or fan-saped. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

(5) Cap white to tan, 6-25 cm broad; flesh tender; stalk lateral; on hardwoods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pleurotus ostreatus

(5) Cap white, smaller (2-6 cm broad); on conifer wood . . . . . . . . . . . P. porrigens

1. Stalk present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2