Laccaria longipes

[ Basidiomycetes > Agaricales > Hydnangiaceae > Laccaria . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

Laccaria longipes is a long-stemmed, sphagnum-loving species of Laccaria known from the Great Lakes region. Like other Laccarias, it has a white spore print and thick gills with a somewhat waxy texture. Aside from the long stem and habitat in Midwestern sphagnum bogs, features that distinguish Laccaria longipes from other, similar Laccarias are primarily microscopic (see below).

Description:

Ecology: Presumably mycorrhizal with conifers and northern hardwoods, but possibly saprobic; growing alone, scattered, or gregariously in sphagnum bogs; fall; distributed in the Great Lakes region.

Cap: 1-8 cm; convex, becoming flat or with a shallow central depression; the margin usually lined; finely hairy; orangish brown, fading with age.

Gills: Attached to the stem; distant or nearly so; pinkish flesh color.

Stem: 7-15 cm long; up to about 1 cm thick; equal or with a slightly enlarged base; hairy; colored like the cap; with whitish basal mycelium.

Flesh: Thin; pinkish flesh colored.

Taste: Not distinctive or slightly bitter; odor not distinctive.

Spore Print: White.

Chemical Reactions: KOH on cap surface negative.

Microscopic Features: Spores 7-8 x 6-8 µ; round or nearly so; ornamented with spines mostly about 1 µ long. Basidia 4-spored.

REFERENCES: Mueller, 1991. (Mueller, 1997.) Herb. Kuo 09120508.

Further Online Information:

Laccaria longipes at Mueller's Laccaria

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Kuo, M. (2006, March). Laccaria longipes. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/laccaria_longipes.html