davidhljordan's Favorites

Substrate: Tsuga canadensis snag
I most often find this species on birch, and every description I have found specifies hardwood only as substrate.
I believe P. squarrosoides has a history of being routinely misidentified as P. squarrosa, and the conventional wisdom is that they are practically indistinguishable macroscopically. However, I have concluded, along with many others, that they can be distinguished from one another based on the shape of their cap scales. My understanding is that the cap scales of P. squarrosa tend to be exclusively flattened/recurved throughout development. Those of P. squarrosoides are roughly conical, or claw-shaped, or irregularly clumpy when the mushrooms are young, and persistently so in the central area of the cap; as the cap expands, the scales closer to the margin tend to get stretched flat. With drying, the scales shrink and darken. I have also noticed from studying observations that P. squarrosa appears to fruit most commonly at the bases of trees or from the ground, presumably from buried wood, while P. squarrosoides most often fruits directly from wood.
I believe the abundance of images of P. squarrosoides that are misidentified as P. squarrosa gives the false impression of a complete overlap of macroscopic characteristics. I am skeptical of the current descriptions of these species, because when misidentification is so frequent, it's hard to know whether the descriptions were crafted around the actual species or misidentified specimens. For example, I have recently encountered a couple reports of alliaceous (onion/garlic) odor associated with observations that are clearly P. squarrosoides in my view. The conventional wisdom is that an alliaceous odor is proof of P. squarrosa; I now doubt this. Likewise, conifer wood is mentioned as possible substrate for P. squarrosa, but not P. squarrosoides. That doesn't convince me that my find here is P. squarrosa; I believe the descriptions are simply incomplete.
I find P. squarrosoides frequently in my local forests but have never found P. squarrosa. What I know of P. squarrosa comes from studying the observations of others. Observations from my region seem to reveal a pattern of abundant P. squarrosoides, and rare but not absent P. squarrosa.

Medium brown, a little darker than 1st two photos in situ show. Branches crowded, forking, rounded with white tips. Last photo after drying but closer to the true colors. On soil in needle duff under pine & mixed hardwoods

Substrate. Dead hardwood
Habit. Many

ARS-20240710-01

CV eval
Pic 1. Lactocollybia> Favolus brasiliensis> Neonothopanus
Pic 2. Lactocollybia> Collybia tuberosa> Leucocybe candicans
Pic 3. Marasmius candidus> Resinomycena> Hygrophorus involutus
Pic 4. Lactocollybia> Collybiopsis subpruinosa> Entoloma sericellum

Growing scattered on coniferous (Pinus taeda)

Smell not distinctive.

KOH stains dark
"Hairy" similar to L. crinitus but the texture is much more fragile than that.
Stipe is pliable, not woody
Gills fluoresce yellow under 365nm UV

White, sort of translucent appearing cap with central depression (umbilicate), pink subdistant to distant gills, stipe 4 to 5 cm, seems to be bruising yellow! Can this be? Will continue to watch & observe. By next morning the mushrooms were rather limp but still showing yellow bruises. Bruising the smaller one elicited fresh yellowing. At first I thought the yellow might be from other mushrooms in basket but rubbing brought forth fresh yellowing even a day later. So many Entolomas, not so many in the literature. Further research needed. Possibilities so far: Alboleptonia sericella, aka Entoloma sericellum, A. adnatifolia, that may be a western species, A. ochracea that bruises ochraceous but maybe deprecated,not on iNat. E. subochraceous exists but seems strictly western. All of these are now mostly in Entoloma. Any thoughts what it might be?

In moss, small and tuff; mixed woods with pine and cedar; strong odor; milk white turning watery; Gills are attached and running slightly down; Stem is more or less equal, with hairs near the base; KOH on cap is olive..