| Major Groups > Gilled Mushrooms > Pale-Spored > Waxy Caps > Hygrocybe persistens |
|
Hygrocybe persistens [ Basidiomycetes > Agaricales > Tricholomataceae > Hygrocybe . . . ]
by Michael Kuo Hygrocybe persistens is characterized by its pointed or conical cap, its yellow (or orange, or even red) colors, and the fact that it does not blacken with age or when bruised. Many waxy cap species, described by various authors, match this general description--but David Boertmann (2000) has done us all a big favor and placed a rather long list of names (from Hygrocybe acutoconica to Hygrocybe cuspidata and others) under the broad umbrella of Hygrocybe persistens. Variation in the sliminess, spore size, and colors can now be more or less bypassed in the identification process--though I should add that Boertmann's concept of Hygrocybe persistens is not supported by DNA evidence, and we may or may not encounter difficulties with his concept once molecular biologists begin to pay attention to the waxy caps (by the same token, however, the previous breakdown of many morphology-based species was also unsupported by DNA evidence). Hygrocybe persistens is not known to be poisonous, but it looks unappetizing; I do not recommend experimenting. Description: Ecology: Saprobic under hardwoods or conifers; growing alone or scattered; spring through fall (and over winter in subtropical climates); widely distributed in North America. Cap: 2-10 cm; conical when young, becoming bell-shaped with a central nipple; slimy; the margin often faintly lined when young, becoming uplifted and torn in age; yellow, orange, or red. Gills: Free from the stem or narrowly attached to it; close or almost distant; thick; yellow. Stem: 6-8 cm long; 3-6 mm thick; more or less equal; dry, greasy, or somewhat sticky (especially on handling); smooth, but often becoming grooved or split lengthwise; colored like the cap; white near the base; the base sometimes becoming grayish or blackish in age. Flesh: Yellowish; thin. Odor and Taste: Not distinctive. Spore Print: White. Microscopic Features: Spores 9-14 x 5-7.5 µ; smooth; elliptical. Basidia 2- or 4-spored. Cystidia absent. Gill tissue parallel or nearly so. REFERENCES: (Britzelmayr, 1890) Singer, 1940. (Smith, 1947; Hesler and Smith, 1963; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1979; Largent, 1985; Arora, 1986; Barron, 1999; Boertmann, 2000.) Herb. Kuo 05310402. Synonyms include: Hygrocybe acutoconica, Hygrocybe constans, Hygrocybe langei, and Hygrophorus rickenii. Further Online Information: Hygrophorus acutoconicus in Hesler & Smith (1963) |
© MushroomExpert.Com |
|
Cite this page as: Kuo, M. (2007, January). Hygrocybe persistens. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/hygrocybe_persistens.html |