Marasmius nigrodiscus

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by Michael Kuo

"That's a Marasmius" is probably not what you'll be thinking when you find Marasmius nigrodiscus for the first time. It is uncharacteristically large for the genus, with a cap that can reach a width of 11 centimeters. It is, however, fairly distinctive, with its dark center and lighter marginal area, and it appears in a wide variety of eastern North American ecosystems--from pine plantations to hardwood forests.

The edibility of Marasmius nigrodiscus is not documented; do not experiment.

Description:

Ecology: Saprobic on litter under hardwoods or conifers; growing alone or, more often, gregariously; summer and fall; apparently limited to eastern North America.

Cap: 3-11 cm; convex becoming planoconvex or nearly flat, usually with a broad central bump or nipple; dry; usually becoming somewhat wrinkled with maturity and developing fine lines along the margin; when young pale brown, becoming creamy white or very pale brownish with a darker brown or reddish brown center; in old age sometimes uniformly pale brownish or dirty cream.

Gills: Attached to the stem; close; whitish, sometimes discoloring grayish.

Stem: 5-10 cm long; about 1 cm thick; equal; dry; straight; whitish or very pale brownish; smooth or with shallow longitudinal grooves; basal mycelium white.

Flesh: Whitish.

Odor and Taste: Tatse mild or slightly bitter; odor not distinctive or faintly of almonds.

Spore Print: White.

Microscopic Features: Spores 7-9 x 3-5 µ; smooth; more or less elliptical. Cystidia abundant on gill edges and faces. Pileipellis without broom cells.

REFERENCES: (Peck, 1897) Halling, 1983. (Saccardo, 1899; Halling, 1983; Weber & Smith, 1985; Roody, 2003.) Herb. Kuo 07010302, 07230407, 08030402, 08310504.

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Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2006, October). Marasmius nigrodiscus. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/marasmius_nigrodiscus.html