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XEROMPHALINA TENUIPES (Schw.) Smith<br />
Figure 255, page 156<br />
MYCENA<br />
PILEUS i/^-l 1/4 (2I/2) in. broad, convex, becoming plane or broadly umbo-<br />
nate, rather variable in color, orange-brown, tinged olive or ochraceous, dry,<br />
velvety to sHghtly granulose when old, margin even or becoming slightly<br />
striate in age. flesh watery brown, pHant, no odor, lamellae adnate or decur-<br />
rent by a line, whitish soon becoming pale yellow, close, moderately broad.<br />
STIPE 1-3 in. long, Vs-Vi ii^- thick, equal or shghtly enlarged toward base, concolorous<br />
with pileus, drying more yellowish, velvety-tomentose. spores white,<br />
eUipsoid, smooth, amyloid, 7-9 X 4-5 /x.<br />
Singly or in clusters on hardwood. June-July.<br />
This species appears early in the season and is the largest species in the<br />
genus. It somewhat resembles Collybia velutipes but differs in the dry, velvety<br />
pileus and amyloid spores. There is no information concerning its edibihty but<br />
its texture seems rather tough.<br />
MYCENA<br />
Mycena is a very large genus of which the species are small and difficult to<br />
identify. Smith (1947) pubhshed a monograph of the genus in North America<br />
and recognized 232 species. With rare exceptions the species can be identified<br />
only from microscopic characters and the group is not one for the beginner.<br />
The species are all too small to be of any interest as food.<br />
As interpreted by Smith the genus includes white-spored species with<br />
cartilaginous, hollow stipes, and usually conical or convex pilei with the<br />
margin straight and appressed to the stipe when young, although some forms<br />
with incurved margins and decurrent lamellae are included. The fruit bodies<br />
are fragile, fleshy or membranous. In dehmiting the genus. Smith also placed<br />
considerable emphasis on microscopic characters.<br />
Some of the species are rather attractive and brightly colored but many<br />
are small, brownish or grayish forms, all looking rather similar. Only a few of<br />
the more distinctive ones are included here.<br />
MYCENA ALCALINA (Fr.) Kummer<br />
Figure 266, page 174<br />
PILEUS y^-\ in. broad, occasionally larger, fragile but pHant, ovoid in the<br />
button stage, then obtusely conic, expanding to conic-campanulate with the<br />
disk usually remaining obtusely umbonate, becoming long-striate on the mar-<br />
gin as the pileus expands, moist, when young dark grayish brown with a<br />
pruinose bloom, soon glabrous, drab grayish brown at maturity, paUid on the<br />
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