Mycena stipata

Cespitose and in dense groups on coniferous wood (Pinus, Picea). Late summer to autumn. Widely distributed and many places rather common. Common in Norway. In some countries reported on hardwood but such records should e revised.

Pileus 10-30 mm across, conical to campanulate, becoming more or less parabolic to convex, translucent-striate, shallowly to hardly sulcate, somewhat lubricous when wet, hygrophanous, pruinose, glabrescent, fairly dark brown with white margin in younger specimens, becoming dark brown to medium brown with darker striae. Lamellae 13-18 reaching the stipe, ascending, narrowly adnate to adnate, more or less decurrent with a short tooth, grey to dark grey with pallid to white edge. Stipe 20-70 x 1-2 mm, hollow, fragile, straight to curved, equal, terete, pruinose in the entire length, glabrescent except for the apex, somewhat lubricous when wet, pale to dark sepia brown, usually paler at the apex, the apex blackish brown in younger specimens, the base densely covered with long, coarse, flexuous, white fibrils. Odour nitrous. Taste unpleasant, somewhat astringent.

Basidia 25-30 x 8-9 µm, clavate, 4-spored. Spores 9-11.5 x 5.3-6.5 µm, Q 1.5-2.1, Qav ~ 1.7, pip-shaped to somewhat elongated, smooth, amyloid. Cheilocystidia 33-45 x 7-14 µm, forming a sterile band, fusiform, subcylindrical, lageniform, apically with a shorter or longer, simple to furcate neck. Pleurocystidia absent. Lamellar trama dextrinoid, brownish vinescent in Melzer's reagent. Hyphae of the pileipellis 2-4.5 µm wide, smooth or covered with some scattered cylindrical excrescences, embedded in gelatinous matter. Hyphae of the cortical layer of the stipe 1.5-3.5 µm wide, embedded in gelatinous matter, smooth to covered with scattered cylindrical excrescences; the terminal cells diverticulate, variously shaped. Clamp connections present in all tissues.

More microscopic figures.

Among the numerous nitrous-smelling species in the genus M. stipata is quite easily recognizable on account of the densely cespitose growth on coniferous wood and the brown colours. Mycena silvae-nigrae is a similar-looking, vernal species that differs in having 2-spored basidia and densely diverticulate hyphae of the pileipellis and stipitipellis, in addition to cheilocystidia with +/- coarse excrescences. Mycena leptocephala differs in many aspects. It is rarely fasciculate and has smooth, non-gelatinized hyphae of the stipitipellis and inflated caulocystidia.