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Key to the European species of sect. Polyadelphia

Mycena Section Polyadelphia Singer ex Maas Geest. in Europe comprises 24 species, of which 7 are found in Norway. All the species are characterized by a very small size, and they are growing on fallen, decaying leaves of deciduous trees, herbaceous stems, or fronds and rhizomes of ferns.

After Maas Geesteranus had published his work (1992), fourteen new species have been proposed: Mycena exilis Aronsen & Gulden and Mycena terena Aronsen & Maas Geest. from Norway, M. dasypus Maas Geest. & Læssøe and M. truncosalicicola Reid from England, M. cistophila Moreno & Heykoop, M. bertaultiana Moreno & Heykoop, M. querciphila Esteve-Raventós & Villarreal, M. pinophila Villarreal, Arenal & Rubio, and M. verrucosocystis Robich from Spain, M. albida Robich from Switzerland, and M. albidoaquosa Robich, M. alniphila Robich, M. angusta Robich, M. calangianuensis Robich, M. catalaunica Robich, M. quercincola Robich, M. rhamnicola Robich and M. tenuipellucida Robich from Italy.

Villarreal et al. (2002) transfered M. cistophila to sect. Cinerellae Singer ex Maas Geest, but for the time being I keep it in the key.

The species so far known in Norway are Mycena capillaris (Schumach.) P. Kumm., M. exilis Aronsen & Gulden, M. lohwagii Singer, M. polyadelpha (Lasch) Kühner, M. riparia Maas Geest., M. smithiana Kühner, and M. terena Aronsen & Maas Geest.

Key to the European species (partly compilation from the available literature, not updated):

1. Cheilocystidia covered with thin excrescences
2. Basidiomata with pink, vinaceous, purplish or violaceous tints
3. Clamps present:
4. Pileus greyish brown to vinaceous buff or pale pink, cheilocystidia somewhat irrgularly shaped. Growing on decaying leaf sheaths of riparian plants (Juncus, Carex): M. juncicola

4. Pileus greyish white, pinkish colour only present at the base of the stipe, cheilocystidia regularly shaped. Found on Pinus litter and twigs of Quercus: M.dasypus

4. Pinkish colour only present in the lamellae, cheilocystidia regularly shaped. Growing on fallen, decaying leaves of Quercus suber: M. bertaultiana
3. Clamps absent
5. Basidia 4-spored. Caulocystidia at the base of the stipe covered with fairly long, usually curved excrescences. Growing on Carex, Scirpus etc:.... M. riparia
5. Basidia 2-spored
6. Caulocystidia at the base of the stipe covered with short, straight excrescences. Spores cylindrical. Growing on fallen, decaying leaves of Quercus:....M. smithiana
6. Caulocystidia covered with short excrescences. Spores broadly pip-shaped to subglobose. Growing on leaves of Quercus ilex:..... M. catalaunica
2. Basidiomata without pink, vinaceous, purplish or violaceous tints
7. Spores pip-shaped to almost cylindrical
8. Base of the stipe attached to the substratum by a whorl of radiating mycelial hyphae

9. Mycelial hyphae radiating from the base dark brown:.............. M. capillaris

9. Mycelial hyphae radiating from the base of the stipe whitish

10. Growing densely cespitose on fern rhizomes: .. M. lohwagii
10. Growing solitary or in twos. Found on Pinus litter and twigs of Quercus: M. dasypus

10. Growing gregarious on Cistus ladonifer: M. cistophila

8. Stipe insititious (base of the stipe not or not visibly attached to the substratum by a whorl of radiating hyphae)
11. Lamellae decurrent with a tooth or really decurrent.
12. Basidiomata entirely white. Spores broadly pip-shaped, up to 5 um broad. Cheilocystidia subglobose. Found in a hothouse: M. invisibilis
12. Basidiomata entirely white. Spores elongated pip-shaped. Cheilocystidia clavate to obpyriform. Growing on fallen leaves of Quercus: M. polyadelphia
12. Pileus dark greyish-brown at the centre, whitish-grey at the margin, stipe greyish-brown below. Cheilocystidia clavate. Growing on decayed needles of Pinus sylvestris: Mycena pinophila
11. Lamellae not decurrent with a tooth. Stipe originally dark or pale grey-brown.

 

13. Pileus white to greyish. Spores almost cylindrical. Growing on fallen leaves of Fagus: M. capillaris
13. Pileus pale brown.Spores pip-shaped. Growing on fallen leaves of Alnus viridis: M. alniphila
7. Spores broadly pip-shaped to subglobose, 5 - 7 um broad. On fallen leaves of Quercus (Q. ilex, Q. faginea, and Q. rotundifolia) Grey, turning white:............. M. quercus-ilicis
7. Spores broadly pip-shaped to subglobose, 4.5 - 6 um broad. Found on standing trunk of Salix caprea. Entirely white: M. truncosalicicola
1. Cheilocystidia smooth
14. Pileus pale olive-yellow, yellowish-brown, dark olivaceous-grey. Lamellae concolorous. Growing on leaves of Quercus ilex subsp. ballota: M. querciphila
14. Pileus pale grey to whitish. Lamellae white. Stipe at first black. Growing on Salix leaves: M. terena


 

© Arne Aronsen 2002-2015