Tricholomataceae
26 genera
160 species
4 subspecies and varieties
160 species
4 subspecies and varieties
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Index to genera:
Arrhenia, Callistosporium, Cantharellula, Catathelasma, Cleistocybe, Clitocybe, Collybia, Dendrocollybia, Fayodia, Gamundia, Gliophorus, Lepista, Leucopaxillus, Melanoleuca, Mycenella, Myxomphalia, Omphaliaster, Omphalina, Phyllotopsis, Pseudoarmillariella, Pseudoclitocybe, Pseudoomphalina, Rimbachia, Squamanita, Tricholoma, TricholomopsisArrhenia auriscalpium
Habitat: Alpine at high elevations; arctic near sea-level.
Substrate: Soil near minute mosses or the white worm lichen.
Habitat: Alpine at high elevations; arctic near sea-level.
Substrate: Soil near minute mosses or the white worm lichen.
Arrhenia lobata
Description: Arrhenia lobata is a moss-associated species often found in fens, along streams, or in association with melting snow.
Habitat: fens, along streams, or in association with melting snow
Substrate: moss
Description: Arrhenia lobata is a moss-associated species often found in fens, along streams, or in association with melting snow.
Habitat: fens, along streams, or in association with melting snow
Substrate: moss
Arrhenia retiruga – small moss oysterling
Description: Arrhenia in the traditional sense includes small, thin, pliable-fleshed mushrooms that are spoon-, petal- or cup shaped, often lobed, and without a stipe or with a lateral one. The fertile surface is smooth, or bears anastomosing veins or blunt gills. They occur on soil or in association with mosses and often can hardly be seen among the mosses when dried. It is widely distributed and can be found in both urban and forested areas.
Habitat: damp woodlands, old lawns, and grasslands
Substrate: moss
Description: Arrhenia in the traditional sense includes small, thin, pliable-fleshed mushrooms that are spoon-, petal- or cup shaped, often lobed, and without a stipe or with a lateral one. The fertile surface is smooth, or bears anastomosing veins or blunt gills. They occur on soil or in association with mosses and often can hardly be seen among the mosses when dried. It is widely distributed and can be found in both urban and forested areas.
Habitat: damp woodlands, old lawns, and grasslands
Substrate: moss
Callistosporium luteo-olivaceum
Description: Callistosporium luteo-olivaceum is a distinctively colored, smallish mushroom that grows on well rotted, often mossy, wood any time from spring through fall. It prefers conifer logs and stumps, often is associated with the bark, and fruits singly, as scattered individuals, or in small clusters. Typically the caps are yellow-brown to liver brown, with thin, close, yellow to ocher or olive-tinted gills, and hollow, fibrillose stipe that is similar in color to the cap and has yellowish tomentum at the base. The taste is farinaceous-bitter and the flesh turns violet when dabbed with 3% potassium hydroxide. The spores are colorless with yellow contents when mounted in ammonia.
Habitat: Conifers
Substrate: rotten wood
Description: Callistosporium luteo-olivaceum is a distinctively colored, smallish mushroom that grows on well rotted, often mossy, wood any time from spring through fall. It prefers conifer logs and stumps, often is associated with the bark, and fruits singly, as scattered individuals, or in small clusters. Typically the caps are yellow-brown to liver brown, with thin, close, yellow to ocher or olive-tinted gills, and hollow, fibrillose stipe that is similar in color to the cap and has yellowish tomentum at the base. The taste is farinaceous-bitter and the flesh turns violet when dabbed with 3% potassium hydroxide. The spores are colorless with yellow contents when mounted in ammonia.
Habitat: Conifers
Substrate: rotten wood
Catathelasma ventricosum – swollen-stalked cat
Distribution: Catathelasmas usually occur on calcareous soils in conifer forests, often in large local populations, forming arcs or rings of fruitbodies.
Distribution: Catathelasmas usually occur on calcareous soils in conifer forests, often in large local populations, forming arcs or rings of fruitbodies.
Clitocybe albirhiza – snowmelt clitocybe, white-stranded clitocybe
Description: Cap 2– 4 cm across; broadly convex, some with a slight depression and others with a slight bump in the center; smooth; mostly whitish tan, some with a pale pink tint, with a white frosty covering that wears off on weathering; margin turned down or under, sometimes with a white rim. Gills attached or running slightly down the stalk; narrow, thin; cream, buff with age. Stalk 2– 4 × 0.5– 1 cm, equal or narrower at the top or middle; whitish, cream, with a frosty coating; with copious white rhizomorphs at the base (dig it up!). Flesh a pale watery buff; odor flowery or floury. Spore print white.
Distribution: Western snowbank mushrooms
Habitat: Melting snowbanks
Spores: late May to early July
Description: Cap 2– 4 cm across; broadly convex, some with a slight depression and others with a slight bump in the center; smooth; mostly whitish tan, some with a pale pink tint, with a white frosty covering that wears off on weathering; margin turned down or under, sometimes with a white rim. Gills attached or running slightly down the stalk; narrow, thin; cream, buff with age. Stalk 2– 4 × 0.5– 1 cm, equal or narrower at the top or middle; whitish, cream, with a frosty coating; with copious white rhizomorphs at the base (dig it up!). Flesh a pale watery buff; odor flowery or floury. Spore print white.
Distribution: Western snowbank mushrooms
Habitat: Melting snowbanks
Spores: late May to early July
Clitocybe alexandri – Alexander's funnel
Clitocybe cerussata – lead-white clitocybe
Clitocybe deceptiva – anise mushroom
Clitocybe dilatata – crowded white Clitocybe
Clitocybe fragrans – fragrant funnel, slim anise mushroom
Clitocybe gibba – funnel Clitocybe, common funnel, funnel-cap
Clitocybe glacialis – snowbank lyophyllum
Description: Cap 2– 5 cm across, broadly convex with a turned-down margin; smooth, greasy or silky dry; silvery gray, with a hoary frosted look, more gray-brown with age. Gills narrowly attached, thin, a bit crowded or not; pale gray to gray-brown. Stalk 2– 3.5 × 0.5– 1.5 cm, equal; silvery pale gray with a hoary coating. Flesh watery gray; odor indistinct. Spore print white.
Distribution: Western snowbank mushroom
Habitat: Snowbanks or in cavities melted out of snowbanks
Spores: late May to early July
Description: Cap 2– 5 cm across, broadly convex with a turned-down margin; smooth, greasy or silky dry; silvery gray, with a hoary frosted look, more gray-brown with age. Gills narrowly attached, thin, a bit crowded or not; pale gray to gray-brown. Stalk 2– 3.5 × 0.5– 1.5 cm, equal; silvery pale gray with a hoary coating. Flesh watery gray; odor indistinct. Spore print white.
Distribution: Western snowbank mushroom
Habitat: Snowbanks or in cavities melted out of snowbanks
Spores: late May to early July
Clitocybe maxima – large white Clitocybe
Clitocybe nebularis – cloudy clitocybe, clouded funnel
Distribution: A variety of forests, often appearing along woodland trails late in fall
Distribution: A variety of forests, often appearing along woodland trails late in fall
Clitocybe odora – anise-scented Clitocybe, aniseed funnel, blue-green anise mushroom
Clitocybe phyllophila – frosty funnel
Clitocybe rivulosa – sweat-producing Clitocybe
Clitocybe sclerotoidea – parasitic clitocybe
Clitocybe squamulosa – small scaly clitocybe
Distribution: Broad Widespread, often common, and variable species
Distribution: Broad Widespread, often common, and variable species
Collybia cirrhata – piggyback shanklet
Collybia cookei – splitpea shanklet
Collybia tuberosa – appleseed coincap, tuberous Collybia, lentil shanklet
Gliophorus laetus – heath waxcap, orange-brown waxy-cap
Distribution: Widespread in northern hemisphere.
Habitat: Damp soil among mosses and ferns, in forests and bogs.
Substrate: Soil.
Distribution: Widespread in northern hemisphere.
Habitat: Damp soil among mosses and ferns, in forests and bogs.
Substrate: Soil.
Gliophorus psittacinus – parrot waxy-cap
Description: Glutinous or slimy green cap and stem when young. Cap margin striate. Gills waxy, well-spaced, and green when young. Cap ages to red, pink, yellow, or tawny. Stem ages to yellow or orange.
Distribution: Widespread in northern hemisphere.
Habitat: Damp forests, woodlands, pastures, roadsides.
Substrate: Soil
Description: Glutinous or slimy green cap and stem when young. Cap margin striate. Gills waxy, well-spaced, and green when young. Cap ages to red, pink, yellow, or tawny. Stem ages to yellow or orange.
Distribution: Widespread in northern hemisphere.
Habitat: Damp forests, woodlands, pastures, roadsides.
Substrate: Soil
Lepista flaccida – tawny funnel
Lepista nuda – blewit, wood blewit
Lepista subconnexa – clustered funnelcap
Lepista tarda – dingy bowlcap
Leucopaxillus gentianeus – bitter brown Leucopaxillus
Melanoleuca cognata – spring cavalier, peach-gilled Melanoleuca
Spores: large spores (7.5--10 x 4.5--6.5 µm)
Spores: large spores (7.5--10 x 4.5--6.5 µm)
Melanoleuca melaleuca – common cavalier, changeable Melanoleuca, dark Melanoleuca
Myxomphalia maura – burn site Mycena
Substrate: M. maura occurs on charred earth or burned wood under conifers or in fire pits, appearing from early summer late into fall.
Spores: white, smooth to roughened, and amyloid
Substrate: M. maura occurs on charred earth or burned wood under conifers or in fire pits, appearing from early summer late into fall.
Spores: white, smooth to roughened, and amyloid
Omphalina pyxidata – cinnamon navel
Tricholoma atrosquamosum var. atrosquamosum – dark scaled knight, black-scaled trich
Tricholoma atroviolaceum
Description: Tricholoma atroviolaceum is characterized by medium-sized to large hard-textured fruitbodies with a broadly convex to plane cap, densely covered with small blackish violet to violaceous gray-brown fibrillose scales, and often with the edge split radially in age. The flesh of the cap often stains reddish gray when cut, the gills are cinnamon- or pinkish gray-tinged, and the stipe is thick, brownish in age, and sometimes has an enlarged base. The flesh has a mildly to strongly farinaceous odor and somewhat bitter taste. T. atroviolaceum occurs in northern California and the PNW under conifers, but usually not in large numbers. Apparently it is restricted to the Pacific Coast.
Distribution: Pacific Coast Pacific Coast
Habitat: Conifer forests
Description: Tricholoma atroviolaceum is characterized by medium-sized to large hard-textured fruitbodies with a broadly convex to plane cap, densely covered with small blackish violet to violaceous gray-brown fibrillose scales, and often with the edge split radially in age. The flesh of the cap often stains reddish gray when cut, the gills are cinnamon- or pinkish gray-tinged, and the stipe is thick, brownish in age, and sometimes has an enlarged base. The flesh has a mildly to strongly farinaceous odor and somewhat bitter taste. T. atroviolaceum occurs in northern California and the PNW under conifers, but usually not in large numbers. Apparently it is restricted to the Pacific Coast.
Distribution: Pacific Coast Pacific Coast
Habitat: Conifer forests
Tricholoma aurantium – golden cavalier, orange knight, orange-sheathed Trich, golden Tricholoma, veiled Tricholoma
Tricholoma cingulatum – girdled knight, belted trich, girdled trich, girdled tricholoma
Description: Tricholoma cingulatum forms caps that are conical, becoming convex to umbonate. The cap surface is finely scaly, the scale dark gray on a paler gray background. The gills are white to pale gray, sometimes bruising yellowish with age. The stem is smooth to fibrous, whitish to pale gray, sometimes bruising yellowish, with a distinct ring.
Habitat: woodlands and dune slacks
Description: Tricholoma cingulatum forms caps that are conical, becoming convex to umbonate. The cap surface is finely scaly, the scale dark gray on a paler gray background. The gills are white to pale gray, sometimes bruising yellowish with age. The stem is smooth to fibrous, whitish to pale gray, sometimes bruising yellowish, with a distinct ring.
Habitat: woodlands and dune slacks
Tricholoma focale – booted knight
Distribution: T. focale is very common in the PNW, occurring under conifers in low-nutrient soils.
Distribution: T. focale is very common in the PNW, occurring under conifers in low-nutrient soils.
Tricholoma imbricatum – matt knight, shingled Trich, shingled Tricholoma
Tricholoma inamoenum – irksome cavalier, ill-scented tricholoma
Description: Small to medium-sized fungi with wide-spaced, broad gills and a “coal gas” odor. Pale yellow fruitbodies. Coal gas is not something many people get an opportunity to smell nowadays but the odor of these mushrooms is strong and unpleasant for most people; some liken it to a heavy floral odor, such as that of Narcissus.
Distribution: Widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere
Habitat: Under conifers
Description: Small to medium-sized fungi with wide-spaced, broad gills and a “coal gas” odor. Pale yellow fruitbodies. Coal gas is not something many people get an opportunity to smell nowadays but the odor of these mushrooms is strong and unpleasant for most people; some liken it to a heavy floral odor, such as that of Narcissus.
Distribution: Widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere
Habitat: Under conifers
Tricholoma intermedium – western chevalier
Tricholoma muricatum
Description: Tricholoma muricatum is one of a confusing bunch of reddish brown-capped, viscid tricholomas, distinguished from the others by its radially fibrillose cap with short grooves at the edge, orange-white gills, brownish orange stipe, and growth with pine.
Habitat: One of the characteristic fungi of the coastal Oregon shore pine woodlands. When found in this habitat, it is fairly easy to identify, but away from coastal pines, identifications in this group become extremely difficult.
Description: Tricholoma muricatum is one of a confusing bunch of reddish brown-capped, viscid tricholomas, distinguished from the others by its radially fibrillose cap with short grooves at the edge, orange-white gills, brownish orange stipe, and growth with pine.
Habitat: One of the characteristic fungi of the coastal Oregon shore pine woodlands. When found in this habitat, it is fairly easy to identify, but away from coastal pines, identifications in this group become extremely difficult.
Tricholoma murrillianum – western matsutake, pine mushroom, ponderosa mushroom
Tricholoma myomyces – waxygill cavalier
Tricholoma nigrum
Description: Tricholoma nigrum is a little-known species, having been described in 1996 from a single collection made along the Oregon coast. Its fruitbodies are medium-sized or larger, and reminiscent of those of T. atroviolaceum, T. atrosquamosum (Chevallier) Saccardo, and T. luteomaculosum A. H. Smith. The cap is moist to somewhat sticky and densely covered with dark gray fibrils and small scales in the center, less so near the edge, the gills whitish to grayish, the stipe whitish, coated with silky fibrils, and sometimes with scattered blackish scales in its upper portion. Microscopically, the key characters are the layer of inflated cells that underlies the cap cuticle and presence of (often inconspicuous) cheilocystidia. The odor and taste are strongly farinaceous. The type collection was made in a shore pine woodland, whereas our collections came from an old-growth, mixed conifer forest dominated by Douglas-fir and western hemlock, with occasional western white pines on nutrient-poor soil.
Habitat: Conifer forests
Description: Tricholoma nigrum is a little-known species, having been described in 1996 from a single collection made along the Oregon coast. Its fruitbodies are medium-sized or larger, and reminiscent of those of T. atroviolaceum, T. atrosquamosum (Chevallier) Saccardo, and T. luteomaculosum A. H. Smith. The cap is moist to somewhat sticky and densely covered with dark gray fibrils and small scales in the center, less so near the edge, the gills whitish to grayish, the stipe whitish, coated with silky fibrils, and sometimes with scattered blackish scales in its upper portion. Microscopically, the key characters are the layer of inflated cells that underlies the cap cuticle and presence of (often inconspicuous) cheilocystidia. The odor and taste are strongly farinaceous. The type collection was made in a shore pine woodland, whereas our collections came from an old-growth, mixed conifer forest dominated by Douglas-fir and western hemlock, with occasional western white pines on nutrient-poor soil.
Habitat: Conifer forests
Tricholoma pardinum – dirty Tricholoma, tiger Tricholoma
Tricholoma populinum – poplar knight, sand mushroom, the sandy, poplar Trich, poplar Tricholoma
Tricholoma portentosum – sticky gray Trich, sticky gray Tricholoma, streaked Tricholoma
Tricholoma saponaceum – soapy knight, soap-scented Trich, soapy Tricholoma
Tricholoma sejunctum – deceiving knight, separating Tricholoma
Tricholoma sulphureum – sulphur knight, the stinker, sulfur Trich
Distribution: widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere
Habitat: under both hardwoods and conifers.
Distribution: widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere
Habitat: under both hardwoods and conifers.
Tricholoma vaccinum – fuzztop, scaly knight, russet scaly Trich, russet scaly Tricholoma
Distribution: Widely in Northern Hemisphere
Habitat: Growth with conifers, especially spruce
Distribution: Widely in Northern Hemisphere
Habitat: Growth with conifers, especially spruce
Tricholoma virgatum – ashen knight, silver streaks, fibril Trich, streaked Trich, fibril Tricholoma
Tricholoma zelleri – Zeller's mushroom
Tricholomopsis decora – queen's coat, decorated mop, prunes-and-custard, black-tufted wood Tricholoma
Tricholomopsis rutilans – variegated mop, plums-and-custard, red-tufted wood Tricholoma
