Mycena luteopallens

[ Basidiomycetes > Agaricales > Tricholomataceae > Mycena . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

Sometimes called the "Walnut Mycena," this tiny mushroom is usually found growing from the remains of walnut or hickory shells--though the shells may be buried or decayed beyond recognition. When young and fresh, Mycena luteopallens has a beautiful bright yellow cap. Soon, however, the color fades to a dirty buff.

If you are not sure of the specialized habitat on walnut or hickory debris, definitively distinguishing Mycena luteopallens from other yellow Mycena species is a task requiring a microscope; the species has distinctively large and abundant cystidia.

Edibility is not known for Mycena luteopallens, but it is much too small to consider collecting for the table, anyway.

Description:

Ecology: Saprobic on walnut and hickory shells, or from associated debris; typically growing in clusters of two or four; gregarious; eastern North America; fall; fairly common.

Cap: 8-15 mm; oval, becoming broadly bell-shaped or conic; the margin sometimes becoming wavy; smooth; sometimes shallowly lined or grooved; rich yellow to orange yellow when young; changing color markedly as it dries out; soon whitish to buff.

Gills: Attached to the stem; nearly distant; pale to yellowish or tinged pinkish.

Stem: 5-9 cm long; 1-2 mm thick; equal; hollow; smooth or with tiny hairs; colored like the cap above, paler below.

Flesh: Insubstantial; pallid or yellowish.

Taste: Mild; odor not distinctive.

Spore Print: White.

Microscopic Features: Spores 7-9 x 4-5.5 µ; elliptical; smooth. Pleurocystidia and cheilocystidia abundant; ventricose; up to 80 µ long.

REFERENCES: (Peck, 1890) Saccardo, 1891. (Smith, 1947; Phillips, 1991/2005; Lincoff, 1992; Barron, 1999.) Herb. Kuo 08270202.

The mushroom illustrated on the bottom, obviously, is not growing from a walnut or hickory shell. It was growing among other specimens that were in fact demonstrating the growth preference cited above and in the literature. However, this mushroom and several others chose to grow from--well, whatever that is. Looks like the seed one finds in the "bean" of a locust tree to me, but identifying trees from their seeds is not my forte. The mushroom agrees with Mycena luteopallens under the microscope. I have included the illustration and the information on the off-chance that this is truly exciting news to some "Mycenologist" somewhere.

Further Online Information:

Mycena luteopallens in Smith, 1947

NOTE: the mushroom above is atypical. See comments, below left.

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Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2004, November). Mycena luteopallens. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/mycena_luteopallens.html