Chlorophyllum and Macrolepiota - click to expand

• shaggy parasols, our largest 'Lepiotas', 20cm across or more, with a brown scaly cap and flesh that stains quickly orange when scratched (except in Macrolepiota)
• white or green spore print (for one locally rare Chlorophyllum)
• a distinctive look that separates them from the erect scaled Echinoderma and the not quite as large Leucoagaricus, and far more common than both lookalikes
• Chlorophyllum includes one rare, local gastroid mushroom.

Species mentioned: Chlorophyllum molybdites, olivieri, brunneum, rhacodes (rachodes), agaricoides. Endoptychum agaricoides. Macrolepiota procera.

Family Agaricaceae. They have been well studied, and for once it is well known exactly which Chlorophyllum species occur in the PNW. Macrolepiota is a genus of similarly large mushrooms that does not occur in the PNW natively, although there are reports that cultivated Macrolepiota procera has escaped into the wild near Olympia, WA and can be found here.

Chlorophyllum molybdites Guyana - Dangerously poisonous, it is recognized by a green spore print in age, growth in grasses and gardens, and white areas between the scales. Young specimens may have white gills and not be identifiable. It is rare here, being a hot weather species, but it has made it all the way up north to Washington so far. We have a Cypress sequence (near Guyana, the type area) and many sequences from all over the world match it, although we don't have it specifically sequenced from the PNW yet.

Chlorophyllum rhacodes (rachodes) EU - Most easily confused with the poisonous C. molybdites, but this has a white spore print (as do the rest of the species in this section). When young, the caps of some of these species start out solid dark brown before they start breaking up into scales (see photo). We have many EU type area sequences and a matching WA sequence.

Chlorophyllum brunneum NA - This species is known for a very abrupt bulb at the bottom of the stem, otherwise it is similar to the other two. Worldwide sequences match each other.

Chlorophyllum molybdites © Christian Schwarz,     C. rhacodes © Steve Trudell,     C. brunneum © Steve Trudell

Chlorophyllum olivieri EU - This species does not have the prominent white areas between the scales, but is more of a uniform brown. Hundreds of EU type area sequences match our own sequences.

Chlorophyllum oolivieri © Steve Trudell

Chlorophyllum agaricoides Ukraine - Formerly Endoptychum agaricoides before it was realized that gastroid and truffle mushrooms don't usually deserve their own genus but are inside the genera they evolved from. It is round like a puffball. The spore mass turns yellowish brown (the DNA and the coloured spore print suggest a close relationship to C. molybdites), and it has a rudimentary stem inside, but the gills are not recognizable as such. It has evolved a strong odor of cabbage (many trufflized species need to evolve some sort of strong odor to enable them to be found by animals and dug up or opened). The ITS DNA of this species all over the world only differs by 1 or 2 bp. We have sequences of this eastern hemisphere mushroom from as close as New Mexico, so I expect our species is the same.

Chlorophyllum agaricoides © Maddox Atagi (sequenced, 2 images) and Steve Trudell (unsequenced)

Macrolepiota 'procera PNW01' - This species somewhat resembles Chlorophyllum rhacodes with scant brown scales on the cap (that is otherwise white), but it is not quite as large and does not stain orange when scratched. It is rare, with only a few reports of escaped cultivars around Olympia, WA so far. ENA sequences are about 5% different than EU type area sequences, and an AZ sequence is 5% different from both, so I bet ours is in need of a new name.

unsequenced Macrolepiota 'procera PNW01' © Buck McAdoo

Echinoderma - click to expand

• medium to large species with erect scales on the cap and staining colours, uncommon to rare. Similar species with smaller spores that have erect scales but flesh that does not stain are covered under Lepiota. Echinoderma are most closely related to Cystolepiota.

Species mentioned: Echinoderma asperum, eriophorum, perplexum, flavidoasperum. Lepiota acutesquamosa, aspera.

Family Verrucosporaceae. Echinoderma asperum (Lepiota aspera/Lepiota acutesquamosa) is a European species reported from the PNW, but that is not the species we have. Neither does it appear that our species is the same as the east coast Echinoderma eriophorum. We have at least 4 undescribed species in need of names.

True Echinoderma species have spores perhaps 6.5-9x3u and caps > 2.5cm across. There are similar species with erect cap scales and scaly stems (but they do not stain colour), with spores perhaps 5x3u, and although my ITS only trees sometimes show them near Echinoderma with weak support, a 4-gene study has shown that they belong in Lepiota. Some of those Lepiota are small, delicate mushrooms (easily distinguished from Echinoderma) but some are large and stocky, so you'll have to study the photos and look at the spores to tell them from Echinoderma.

Echinoderma PNW01 - This species, the first 2 times it was photographed, had a uniformly warm brown coloured cap, not showing any concentric rings of white between the scales. The third collection was mostly white with a few brown scales. I think a decade-old collection that was almost pure white may have been the same thing. In all cases, there were loose chunks of spines on the stem, especially near the bottom. It is uncommon, having been found twice in WA, once in Victoria, once on Texada Island (north of Nanaimo BC) and once in boreal BC. In one BC collection, it was with conifers. The white collection was in red cedar debris and had an unpleasant rubbery odor.

Uniformly brown Echinoderma PNW01 © Danny Miller & Marty Kranabetter.     Mostly white PNW01 © Sharon Squazzo.     Mostly white possible PNW01 © Danny Miller

Echinoderma PNW03 - This very similar species has a possibly colder brown cap than PNW01 and seems to show some white between the cap scales as it expands. It's unclear if the stem scales are more appressed than in PNW01 and fall off less easily. It is uncommon, having been sequenced more than a half dozen times in Vancouver BC, at least once in WA and also in Quebec and Arizona.

Echinoderma PNW03 © Danny Miller and Matthew Koons

Echinoderma 'favidoasperum PNW02' - This species has a warm yellow brown cap and a mostly smooth stem. E. flavidoasperum, from China, from which it differs by 6-7bp and 1-2 indels has a slightly reddening stem when handled. This rare sister species was found in the Cascade mountains in Manning Park BC and near Stampede Pass, WA.

Echinoderma PNW04 - Species PNW04 seems to be much like species PNW01 and PNW03, but with a rich milk chocolate coloured cap, and it appears to only have erect scales on the disc, with flattened scales everywhere else. It appears to have a fibrillose stem (not a scaly stem) and little white areas are showing between the brown scales. Also rare, it was found once SE of Salem, OR. It may be somewhat of a sister species of Echinoderma perplexum (differs by about 10%).

Echinoderma 'flavidoasperum PNW02' © Danny Miller (2 images),     Echinoderma PNW04 © NAMA and the Field Museum of Natural History

Leucocoprinus - click to expand

• small, delicate fruit bodies
• usually a striate cap margin, a clear ring that's often movable and granular-looking scale particles

Species mentioned: Leucocoprinus brebissonii, birnbaumii, cepistipes, ianthinus, flavescens, cretaceus, heinemannii.

Family Agaricaceae. Leucocoprinus does not deserve to be considered separately from Leucoagaricus, according to strict rules, as it is parphyletic with Leucoagaricus ("inside" instead of "beside" or sister to it). But it seems to be a good monophyletic group of species with distinct characters so I am using the genus name only for these species. Others are now considering all Leucoagaricus should be called Leucocoprinus. Leucocoprinus, as I consider it, is usually a hot weather or tropical genus (mostly found in the summer), and except for one common "wild" species, others are only found locally in potted plants or greenhouses.

Leucocoprinus brebissonii EU - Black granular scales on the disc making an "eye". Very similar to the slightly stockier 'Lepiota' atrodisca, but never has any black on the ring. (That probably belonging in Leucoagaricus and described below in that section). It is now a wild species, found in forests. It was introduced to the PNW around 1994 and has become abundant. If it's found indoors, consider L. heinemannii, below. An EU and a WA sequence match.

Leucocoprinus cf birnbaumii EU - A bright yellow mushroom, covered in granules. Almost always found indoors or in artificially heated areas. This is a complex of species in Europe, so I don't know how many species we have or if the real thing is one of them. We need local samples.

Leucocoprinus 'cepistipes PNW01' - All white, or with pale brown scales. Found both indoors and outdoors. One outdoor (from woodchips) WA sequence is 5% different in ITS from EU sequences, implying ours is an unnamed sister species. We should test an indoor collection.

Leucocoprinus cf ianthinus UK - Purple. Found only indoors. Two asian sequences differ by 4 bp. I don't have any local or type area (UK) sequences. It seems plausible that we have the real species as it is never found in the wild.

Leucocoprinus brebissonii © Steve Trudell,     unsequenced L. cf. birnbaumii © Michael Beug,     L. 'cepistipes PNW01' © Michael Beug,     unsequenced L. cf. ianthinus © Steve Trudell

Other species

Josh Birkeback did a study that found three additional rare species in western Washington - species that nobody else has ever found, to my knowledge, except for one. They should be looked for again.

Leucocoprinus cf flavescens OH - Also yellow, but not quite as bright, and often with a brownish disc and fewer granular scales on the cap. Found once in WA in a covered can outside a UW greenhouse. We need local DNA as well as type area DNA to compare to.

'Leucocoprinus' cf cretaceus EU - All white with a more copious powdery covering than L. cepistipes. Found once in WA in wood chips with horse manure. This species is not in the Leucocoprinus clade, but with the other Leucoagaricus. We need local DNA to prove we have the real European species.

Leucocoprinus heinemannii EU - Black scaly disc, like L. brebissonii, but with larger, more fibrillose scales instead of tiny granules, and not quite as much of an "eye". It's a European species reported once in Washington in a greenhouse, and just recently found again by me in a potted plant just outside another greenhouse in Seattle.

probable Leucocoprinus flavescens from ENA © Stephen Russell,     L. cf cretaceus from outside North America © Daniel Winkler,     L. heinemannii © Danny Miller

Cystolepiota - click to expand

• small, delicate fruitbodies
• a shaggy appearance overall from a cottony universal veil material, no ring on the stem. Uncommon to rare.

Species mentioned: Cystolepiota seminuda, bucknallii, moelleri, oregonensis, hetieri, fumosifolia, cystidiosa, petasiformis

Family Verrucosporaceae.

Cystolepiota 'seminuda PNW01'/'seminuda PNW02'/'seminuda PNW04' - Our least rare species in this genus are probably the most slender ones. They have a white cap with pinkish stem (the pink may intensify) and lots of shaggy material that disappears in age to become "half nude". There is a group of species matching this description all over the world; we have some east coast names but no west coast names that I know of for potential species, so we will probably need new names for ours. I have found 3 genetic species in the PNW, none likely the real thing from Europe. PNW04 had a bit of pigment on the cap disc.

Cystolepiota 'seminuda PNW01' © NAMA and the Field Museum of Natural History and Yi-Min Wang,     C. 'seminuda PNW02' © iNaturalist user haunma and Matthew Koons

Cystolepiota 'seminuda PNW04' © Matthew Koons

Cystolepiota 'bucknallii PNW03' - This beautiful, purple, cottony mushroom smells strongly and disagreeably like coal tar. This is a group of species in Europe and we have something distinct from all of them that likely needs a new name. These species clade far away from any other species and probably belong in their own section. A multi-gene study will have to confirm that don't deserve their own genus.

Cystolepiota 'bucknallii PNW03' © Lauren Ré

Cystolepiota cf moelleri EU - This very rare mushroom has pink velar material on the cap. We have potential European DNA but need local DNA to confirm if we have this species, or what the two BC and WA collections that resembled that species really are.

unsequenced Cystolepiota cf moelleri © A and O Ceska

Cystolepiota oregonensis OR - Copious velar material, staining rusty brown in age and where handled. Described from Oregon. We have one sequence that may be this, and unsequenced collections that are definitely this. We should sequence more collections to confirm that we now know what this DNA is. It strongly resembles the European Cystolepiota hetieri, which may be a group of species in the EU.

unsequenced Cystolepiota oregonensis © Danny Miller,     sequenced possible C. oregonensis © Yi-Min Wang

Cystolepiota fumosifolia WA (=Cystolepiota cystidiosa MI?) - Not petite (~3cm) white, cottony mushroom turning smoky coloured in cap and gills in age. Described from WA, and we have California DNA but and also 100% matching ITS from an old WA Smith collection that he called C. cystidiosa, supporting the theory that that is a newer synonym.

Cystolepiota petasiformis WA - Copious cottony veil material, often forming a false conehead. Smells farinaceous. Described from Washington, we have California DNA and BC DNA (3 bp from each other in ITS2 only) but no Washington DNA yet. ITS doesn't place this species reliably inside Cystolepiota, but combined with LSU sequences, it does have support inside Cystolepiota.

Cystolepiota 'petasiformis PNW04' - one WA sequence is different. No photo or description yet. We need more collections to confirm.

Cystolepiota petasiformis © Christian Schwarz

Melanophyllum - click to expand

• a small (<5cm) amazing mushroom that evolved coloured red and/or green spores from within Cystolepiota, so perhaps these species should go by that genus.
• greyish-brown cap, bright red free gills and scales all over the cap and stem.
• membranous veil material seems to often be left on the cap margin as well as on the stem in a ring zone. This is very much unlike the cottony universal veil material of Cystolepiota.

Species mentioned: Melanophyllum haematospermum

Family Verrucosporaceae.

Cystolepiota ('Melanophyllum') haematospermum group - Olive green spores when fresh, reddish brown spores when dried. This is a group of species, all called Melanophyllum haematospermum. Locally, we have sequenced 4 collections, and all 4 of them were different species, which was not surprising given that worldwide, there are over a dozen species concepts with ITS DNA >3% different from each other. I know of no study to try and determine the differences between them. They all seem to be found in conifer forests.

PNW01 had a convex to conical cap up to 5cm across. Stem base and mycelium blue-green. Spores 5.8-6.5x3.3-3.8u. Epithelium of pileipellis with sphaerocysts.

PNW02 has a small umbo, and the stems seemed especially thin for its size. Spores 5-5.5x3-3.5u

PNW03 has a very broad umbo.

PNW04 is easy to spot. It is much more delicate with much more distant gills than the other three. Spores 5-5.7x2.7-3.3u

Since they live "inside" Cystolepiota and not "beside" it, they technically don't deserve their own genus if you want to insist that Cystolepiota not be paraphyletic.

'Melanophyllum' PNW01, PNW02, PNW03 and PNW04 © Connor Dooley, Andrew Parker, Andrew Parker and Connor Dooley

Lepiota - click to expand

• small to medium mushrooms (cap <10cm, stem <1cm thick)
• stems may be smooth, scaly or shaggy
• caps smooth or scaly, but not shaggy, granular or striate, fruitbodies not staining red
• smooth stemmed species will usually have a brownish "eye" of scales on the disc that break up concentrically and not stain appreciably red (although rarely such a mushroom will be a Leucoagaricus).
• (see Leucoagaricus for small mushrooms that stain red, have pink, black or pure white scales or have reddish radiating fibrils instead of scales that break up individually or concentrically)

Species mentioned: Lepiota megnispora, ventriosospora, clypeolaria, erminea, alba, subincarnata, josserandii, helveola, castanea, pilodes, fuscosquamea, clypeolarioides, cortinarius, felina, fuscovinacea, cristata, kauffmanii, castaneidisca, subnivosa, subfelina, concentrica, amplifolia.

Family Verrucosporaceae.

Shaggy stems - click to expand Shaggy stems, with some cottony material on the stem (often reported as deadly poisonous and one actually is) Species mentioned: Lepiota magnispora, ventriosospora, clypeolaria, erminea, alba, subincarnata, josserandii, helveola.   Lepiota magnispora WA - This medium sized PNW mushroom, described from WA, is a little larger than most. It usually has quite a dark, coloured "eye" on the disc. The stem is shaggy, unlike most other similar species. The group of shaggy stemmed Lepiotas have much larger spores than most others. Lepiota ventriosospora UK - Not a synonym, although some have declared it is, it appears to have distinct DNA very close to L. magnispora. The type is from the UK, and it is found in AZ and ID (inland desert areas, I suspect). The scales on the rest of the cap may be a bit paler then the cap eye, and there may be yellow on the ring, but practically, it is very difficult to distinguish without sequences. Lepiota clypeolaria EU - This similar European species is also found in North America, commonly in the east and uncommonly here in the west. The eye is not usually as distinct, and the ring on the stem is said to be less ragged. Lepiota magnispora © Autumn Anglin,     Lepiota clypeolaria © Jan Agosti and Yi-Min Wang (2 images)   Lepiota erminea EU - A mostly all-white form of the shaggy stemmed Lepiotas turns out to be an actual unique species and not an albino form, which doesn't always happen (and it can have a somewhat brownish disc, so it is not always entirely white). It is usually called Lepiota alba but that is a newer synonym. DNA from a collection near the WA/ID border matches several reliable European sequences of L. erminea within 2 or 3 bp, which is the same amount that European sequences can vary by. Lepiota 'erminea PNW01' - one white collection from Idaho and another that may be from Wyoming do not match any other sequences well, so there may be a second undescribed species in the interior. We need more collections. Lepiota erminea © Andrew Parker   Lepiota 'subincarnata PNW02' - This deadly species has pinkish scales on the cap and pinkish shaggy scales on the stem. It stains slightly reddish. (One collection had a cap broken up into very dark brown scales). It is closely related to the L. castanea group, with sharper scales on their stems, formerly thought to also be deadly, but not. Sometimes mistakenly called Lepiota josserandii. Not uncommon. Our local DNA is 3bp and 3 indels different than the only European sequence I can find. In this group, that would not necessarily be enough differences to mean it's a different species, except that within the PNW and in sequences from Korea and Pakistan, the DNA is always consistent, and only the one EU sequence I have shows this variation, so I'd like to see more European sequences, since it is a European species. Lepiota 'helveola PNW16' - very similar to Lepiota subincarnata with orange-brown scales on a white background, with a stem that is a little scalier and less shaggy. Our one WA collection has ITS distinct by 10% from both the EU and ENA sequences purporting to be this species. It was not tested in the recent study that found only L. subincarnata to be deadly (of the species present here), but since it is the nearest relative, it may also deadly poisonous. Lepiota 'subincarnata PNW02' © Joe Matanzas,     Lepiota 'helveola PNW16' © Yi-Min Wang (2 images)

Scaly stems - click to expand Scaly stems, (some were reported as deadly poisonous, but aren't) Species mentioned: Lepiota castanea, pilodes, fuscosquamea, clypeolarioides, cortinarius, felina, fuscovinacea, pseudoasperula.   Lepiota 'helveola PNW16' - the may be more scaly than shaggy, but it is covered in the shaggy stemmed group above.   Lepiota PNW12 - This collection was extremely scaly (erect scales like Echinoderma) with a coloured juice on the young specimens. It was also large and stocky like Echinoderma but I have it placed in Lepiota with low support. It presumably has smaller spores than Echinoderma. It was found under California incense cedar and hemlock. A second collection was found under Kowhai (Sophora microphylla). The odor was fishy/farinaceous. A matching sequence has been found in California, but these sequences are very distant from everything else and probably represent a unique section of Lepiota. Lepiota PNW12 © Matthew Koons (2 images)   These next five clade together, and also have erect scales on the cap like Echinoderma, but they do not stain colour like true Echinoderma, and have smaller spores (~5x3u vs. ~6.5-9x3u). Most are smaller mushrooms, too, making them more easily differentiated from our Echinoderma species which are all usually larger. Even though an ITS only tree might place them in or near Echinoderma with low support, a 4-gene tree has shown they belong in Lepiota ("New species of Echinoderma and Lepiota (Agaricaceae) from China"). Lepiota PNW08- DNA found twice in BC, once in CA, and finally it was captured on film from WA. The sequence is close to Lepiota PNW03 below, but PNW08 is stockier and more likely to be mistaken for Echinoderma. Lepiota PNW03 - like a small Echinoderma that won't stain colour, with erect cap scales, found and photographed once in WA, and sequenced twice from BC and once in Norway as Lepiota pseudoasperula, but I don't have reliable sequences of that species to know if that's what this is. Lepiota PNW11 - another similar species, known from 2 CA sequences and 1 WA sequence, perhaps with paler brown colours. Spores 5x3u. Lepiota PNW15 - known from 1 OR sequence, no other matches worldwide. Its erect cap scales were few and subtle (or washed off) and the species is also a little stocky. Lepiota PNW17 - known from 1 ID sequence, 5 bp different from an IN collection, else unknown. Lepiota PNW18 - known from one WA collection and some in IN.   Lepiota PNW08 © Matthew Koons,     Lepiota PNW03 © Jacob Kalichman (3 images),     L. PNW11 © Yi-Min Wang (2 images)     Lepiota PNW15 © Yi-Min Wang (3 images),     Lepiota PNW17 © Ed Barge,     L. PNW18 © Matthew Koons   Lepiota 'castanea PNW04' - This European species has warm brown scales (that aren't truly erect) and sharp scales on the stem unlike the species with shaggy stem scales (in this photo they only remain at the bottom of the stem). PNW BC sequences are about 10 bp different than European sequences, eastern NA sequences and a BC sequence close to the Yukon border (those three locations seem to have the real species). Lepiota 'pilodes PNW06' - I need a description to be able to tell this species apart from L. castanea. There are written descriptions of both species, but remember, our first species is not quite L. castanea and this species is not quite L. pilodes, so that might complicate how to tell them apart. It seems to be equally uncommon. Sequences from BC, WA and CA are about 10 bp from European material, where it was described, but no morphological or ecological differences have been detected yet so it remains to be seen if ours is a distinct species. Eastern North America seems to have a third 'species' with distinct DNA. Lepiota 'castanea PNW05' - This newly detected species (from BC and WA) is also similar to L. castanea. We need a way to tell it apart from the other two. Lepiota 'castanea PNW04' © Daniel Winkler,     Lepiota 'pilodes PNW06' © Buck McAdoo,     Lepiota 'castanea PNW05' © Danny Miller   Lepiota fuscosquamea ENA - This east coast species was never described very well, and all details except for a vague macroscopic description were not taken from the type material and are to be taken with a grain of salt. It is described macroscopically is similar to L. castanea, but not quite as delicate as those above. We have DNA from the east coast of something that vaguely looked like it could be it, but we need local collections and a type study to figure out what it is. It is rumoured to occur rarely in the PNW, but take those rumours with a grain of salt. possible Lepiota fuscosquamea, Quebec © Renée Lebeuf   Lepiota clypeolarioides UK - Another medium species like L. fuscosquamea, and also not well understood. Described from the UK, it's not entirely clear what this species' DNA is, but I have a guess. It's been reported rarely from the PNW, so we need collections to sequence.   Lepiota cortinarius EU - Also medium sized species similar to L. fuscosquamea and L. clypeolarioides, but with two important differences. There is an abrupt bulb on the bottom of the stem and the veil is cobwebby like Cortinarius. Described from the EU, it's not entirely clear what this species' DNA is, but I have a guess (it may be closely related to L. clypeolarioides). It's been rumoured to occur rarely in the PNW, but those rumours are especially vague, so we need collections to prove it.   Lepiota 'felina PNW07' - This species has very dark brown scales instead of warm brown scales on the cap and stem. Charles McIlvaine, the famous American mycophagist from the late 1800s reported eating it as part of his quest to try all the known mushrooms that weren't known to be deadly at the time. Fortunately for him, he found this little Lepiota instead of the deadly L. subincarnata. That may have been his closest brush with death in his years long experiment. Our species is about 6bp from European sequences, so we may conceivably need a new name. In other parts of the world, they have their own potential species similarly distant. unsequenced Lepiota 'felina PNW07' © Steve Trudell, L. 'felina PNW07' © Michael Beug   Lepiota 'fuscovinacea PNW09' - this somewhat stocky (medium sized) species is covered in dark scales all over the cap and stem, with a purplish hue. It has only been reported twice, from OR, and the most recent collection turned out to be 6% different than sequences of the EU species, so we appear to have an unnamed sister species. This is one of the only species of Lepiota without clamps. Lepiota 'fuscovinacea PNW09' © iNaturalist user Maria Marlin

Bald stems - click to expand Bald stems, easily confused with Leucoagaricus. Check here first for species with brownish "eyes" of scales on the disc that break concentrically, but do not stain appreciably red. Otherwise, see Leucoagaricus. Rarely, your small, bald stemmed, brown eyed mushroom might be a Leucoagaricus (Leucoagaricus opthalmus or 'Lepiota' oculata). Species mentioned: Lepiota cristata, kauffmanii, castaneidisca.   Lepiota cristata EU - This species is recognized by usually orange-brown colours, a slight umbo, growth in disturbed places more often than natural places (although I have sequences of it from Bridle Trails State Park, which is pretty wild), and a strong scent that may be pleasantly sweet and fruity or unpleasant like rubber. Its ITS DNA differs by about 1.5% around the world (it was described from Europe), with no geographical pattern or other detectable differences between the specimens. That is a higher than an average species might vary (~0.5%) , but it does seem to be all one good species. However, almost identical species do occur in addition, described next. Lepiota 'cristata PNW10' - This sister species is more often found in natural habitats, but otherwise matches L. cristata. It is found in California and BC so far. Since L. cristata has been found in wild places too, there's no good way to differentiate them beyond DNA yet. Lepiota 'cristata PNW09' - Some BC sequences are 7-12 different from Lepiota 'cristata PNW10' (~2%). The differences are in both ITS1 and ITS2 so it seems to be a distinct species. Lepiota kauffmanii OR - Described from Oregon in 1933 and never reported since, it is said to much resemble Lepiota cristata. This could be a good name for one of the two above unnamed species, but we'll need a type sequence or more collections to find out. Lepiota cristata © Daniel Antone,     Lepiota 'cristata PNW09' © Jonathan Frank   Lepiota 'castaneidisca PNW13'/'castaneidisca PNW14' - These species are very similar to L. cristata, but tend to have more reddish brown colours. They are found in natural habitats. Practically, they can be difficult to distinguish from L. cristata, including microscopically. There are 2 genetic species in California, cryptic and not separable except for DNA. Our first two PNW sequences, from WA, matched one of them. A third OR collection sequenced in between the two species and appears to be a 3rd species unknown except for this one collection. Even though it's only one sequence so far, the chromatogram is clean and the sequence looks good. We need more collections. Lepiota 'castaneidisca PNW13' and 'castaneidisca PNW14' © Richard Morrison and Bruce Newhouse   Other similar species exist in California and may exist in the PNW as well, that can be differentiated microscopically from the above groups. Rarely, a bald stemmed, brown eyed mushroom will be a Leucoagaricus. Check there too for Leucoagaricus opthalmus and 'Lepiota' oculata.

Poorly known other potential species.   Lepiota subnivosa, subfelina, concentrica and amplifolia - These species were described from the PNW back in 1912, and we're still not sure what they represent. Hopefully I'll have more information later. Lepiota subnivosa belongs in Leucoagaricus. I don't know about L. amplifolia. The other two probably do belong in Lepiota.

Leucoagaricus - click to expand

• LARGE mushrooms (cap ~10cm, stem 1-2cm thick) that are not Chlorophyllum nor with erect scales like Echinoderma
• SMALL mushrooms (cap <5cm, stem <0.5cm thick) with a smooth stem and a ring
• try here first for small mushrooms that stain red, have reddish fibrils that radiate out from the cap centre instead of breaking up individually or concentrically, and for those with pink, black or mostly white scales
• (try Lepiota first for small mushrooms with a brownish eye of concentric cap scales that do not stain red appreciably, although rarely such a mushroom could be a Leucoagaricus).

Species mentioned: Leucoagaricus leucothites, barssii, americanus, bresadolae, badhamii, adelphicus, cupresseus, erythrophaeus, georginae, roseilividus, rubrotinctus, glabridiscus, purpureolilacinus, opthalmus, pakistaniensis. Lepiota naucina, fuliginescens, pulverapella, castanescens, flammeotincta, roseifolia, decorata, rubrotinctoides, atrodisca, oculata, sequoiarum. Leucocoprinus cretaceus.

Family Agaricaceae. Some are still officially called Lepiota because they haven't been moved yet to Leucoagaricus. The reason they haven't been moved is that the Leucocoprinus clade is inside Leucoagaricus, and it is an older name, so there a movement has started to rename all Leucoagaricus to Leucocoprinus. If so, that will be done in one step, instead of moving the Lepiota species to Leucoagaricus and then to Leucocoprinus. However, I find it is still useful to think of Leucocoprinus separately.

Large Leucoagaricus - click to expand Species mentioned: Leucoagaricus leucothites, barssii, americanus, bresadolae, badhamii, adelphicus, cupresseus. Lepiota naucina, fuliginescens, pulverapella. Many of the larger species appear to clade together as a group, but not with enough evidence to definitively say for sure. It's probably not that simple.   Leucoagaricus leucothites EU (Lepiota naucina) - Often white and with a smooth cap (and hard to recognize as a "Lepiota") but sometimes grey and partly scaly. The stem is clavate (wider at the bottom). There's no ITS DNA difference between the white and grey forms. A European mushroom found throughout the PNW. Leucoagaricus barssii OR - Grey and scalier than L. leucothites, with a tapering stem bottom and an interesting ring that's like a collar and may be movable. Described from Oregon and found rarely throughout the PNW. Leucoagaricus leucothites, smooth white and scaly grey © Steve Trudell,     Leucoagaricus barssii © Steve Trudell   Leucoagaricus americanus NY (Leucoagaricus bresadolae EU misapplied) - This scaly mushroom has brown cap scales on a white background, and stains yellow as well as the more common orange and red in various parts at at various times. It has a spindle shaped stem. 'Lepiota' fuliginescens CA (Leucoagaricus badhamii misapplied) - lacks the spindle shaped stem of L. americanus, but is clavate instead. In California, they may have two cryptic species, both stocky. This has been reported from the PNW but those reports need to be verified. Lepiota fuliginescens still needs to be renamed to Leucoagaricus fuliginescens. Leucoagaricus 'fuliginescens PNW05' - in OR, WA, and BC we have an unnamed sister species that is more slender with a long stem, with about 10 total ITS differences from the second California clade and between 2 and 5 differences from each other (plus a bunch of known alleles that make the differences look much larger, so not all of the remaining differences may be significant). As one of the smaller large Leucoagaricus, it can be mistaken for L. erythrophaeus, one of the larger small Leucoagaricus, but that species stains quickly directly to red, whereas this species might stain yellow, orange and red, and probably more slowly. unsequenced Leucoagaricus americanus © Michael Beug,     'Lepiota' fuliginescens from California © iNaturalist user satucker,     Leucoagaricus 'fuliginescens PNW05' © Jonathan Frank and Buck McAdoo   Leucoagaricus adelphicus CA - uniformly dark brown, suede-like scaly cap, perhaps subtly staining red, orange or purplish at times. Also found not so uniformly brown with more subtle scales. This California mushroom was found for the first time in the PNW in 2019, at North Seattle Community College under landscaped trees and also found in a yard under an old introduced apple tree where it appears that it fruited for the very first time in 2019 as well. How interesting. Leucoagaricus cupresseus CA - is very similar. It also has a suede-like dark brown cap like L. adelphicus, but stains red a little more easily and is perhaps a tad stockier. In CA it is almost always with Monterey cypress, but it has now been found under the related western red cedar in WA. L. adelphicus would probably be with different trees. 'Lepiota' pulverapella OR - Very similar to Leucoagaricus adelphicus, and may in fact be the same (or possibly L. fuliginescens since this one was reported to be able to stain yellow), but there are some subtle microscopic differences from any other known taxa that we are not going to definitely say what it is without a type sequence or further collections. Described from Oregon in 1933. It belongs in Leucoagaricus. Leucoagaricus adelphicus © Mushroom Observer user Len (placeport) and Bruce Newhouse (2 images),     Leucoagaricus cupresseus © Danny Miller

Small Leucoagaricus - click to expand Species mentioned: Leucoagaricus erythrophaeus, georginae, roseilividus, rubrotinctus, glabridiscus, purpureolilacinus, opthalmus, pakistaniensis. Lepiota castanescens, flammeotincta, roseifolia, decorata, rubrotinctoides, atrodisca, oculata, sequoiarum. Leucocoprinus cretaceus. Red staining - click to expand Species that turn red wherever handled or in age, sometimes dramatically so. Species mentioned: Leucoagaricus erythrophaeus, georginae. Lepiota castanescens, flammeotincta, roseifolia.   The first time I found one and touched it, it flashed red so quickly and so brightly, I actually jumped backwards and gasped. These four species are very difficult to tell apart without a microscope, but since they are not actually sister species with each other, but sprinkled throughout the clade(s) of small Leucoagaricus, they do have microscopic differences. California has an additional half a dozen or more species not yet found in the PNW, so precise identification of these is difficult. None are common. 'Lepiota' castanescens WA - Like all the others, it has a ring on the stem and scales on the cap that turn more reddish brown over time or whenever touched. Every part turns red, and rather quickly. It has not yet been moved to Leucoagaricus castanescens. Our sequenced photo from WA is stockier than expected, almost like L. erythrophaeus. 'Lepiota' flammeotincta OR - Every part stains quickly red when touched except the gills for some reason. I've found more local sequences of this species than the other three. Leucoagaricus erythrophaeus CA - turns quickly red everywhere and may have a sort of collar around the stem that the gills attach to, instead of going straight into the cap. It is reportedly somewhat stockier than L. castanescens. However, note that our photo of L. castanescens is fairly stocky. It was described from California, but there have been reports throughout the PNW. We need collections to see if it is really here. It has previously incorrectly gone by the name Lepiota roseifolia, an older California mushroom whose true identify is still not known for sure. At least some reports of this turned out to be Leucoagaricus 'fuliginescens PNW05' above, which is on the small end of the large Leucoagaricus (and this is on the large end of the small Leucoagaricus), but that species probably stains more slowly and to probably to yellow, orange and red. Leucoagaricus georginae UK - This DNA of this British mushroom has been found once in Washington. It is said to glisten all over and turns red so easily you almost only have to look at it. We need more information on how to tell it apart from the others. 'Lepiota' castanescens © Yi-Min Wang (2 images),     unsequenced 'Lepiota' flammeotincta © Shannon Adams Pink scaly caps - click to expand Species mentioned: Leucoagaricus roseilividus. Lepiota decorata.   Leucoagaricus roseilividus CA - A beautiful, delicate, lilac-pink scaled species. There may be 2 similar species in California, where it was described, but both sequences from Washington that I have match the most common California sequences, so I'm assuming we have the real species here. The one outlying California sequence has about 10 bp differences, but as a study could not find any macro, micro or habitat differences, it is for the moment officially all one species. 'Lepiota' decorata OR - A slightly stockier medium sized pink scaled species. Described from Oregon. It has yet to be moved officially to Leucoagaricus. Also, there is a second cryptic species, probably in California and perhaps into the PNW. I do not have sequences of it yet, so for now I am assuming that PNW finds are all the real thing. unsequenced Leucoagaricus roseilividus © Noah Siegel,     unsequenced 'Lepiota' decorata © Ben Woo Reddish brown radial streaks - click to expand The cap scales of these species do not break up into individual scales nor in concentric patterns but instead the reddish-brown coloured cap fibres radiate out from the centre of the cap towards the edge. Species mentioned: Leucoagaricus rubrotinctus, pakistaniensis, glabridiscus, purpureolilacinus. Lepiota rubrotinctoides.   'Lepiota' rubrotinctoides WA (Leucoagaricus rubrotinctus EU misapplied) - By far the most abundant species in the group, but difficult to differentiate from the others. Reddish-brown cap fibers radiate out from the centre but do not break up into individual scales. It still needs to be moved to Leucoagaricus. Leucoagaricus 'rubrotinctoides PNW08' - This one sequence from Oregon came out as a sister species. We need more sequences to confirm that there is in fact a second species, but this sequence looks clean. I don't yet know how to tell them apart. Leucoagaricus 'rubrotinctoides PNW04' - Another lookalike, this time not very closely related, but sure looking like it is. No data on it yet. Known from two collections in Oregon from the same day. Leucoagaricus glabridiscus CA - This species is said to be bitter tasting and more delicate with a bit darker colouration. I have one sequence from OR that may be this. If not, we need to figure out what it really is and what L. glabridiscus is too. Leucoagaricus 'pakistaniensis PNW01' - Found thrice in Washington, this sequence is 9bp and 1 indel from the type sequence of Leucoagaricus pakistaniensis Pakistan, which has a brown eye and is closely related and similar to Leucoagaricus rubrotinctoides. Our photographs show orange colours and there is a darker ring around the eye and a paler centre. The streaks are not as obvious as sometimes in L. rubrotinctoides. 'Lepiota' rubrotinctoides © NAMA and the Field Museum of Natural History,    Leucoagaricus 'rubrotinctoides PNW08' © Bitty Roy,     L. 'rubrotinctoides PNW04' © NAMA and the Field Museum of Natural History,     L. 'pakistaniensis PNW01' © Cady Adair and Kat Gibson Black scales - click to expand The cap scales are blackish on these species. Species mentioned: Lepiota atrodisca   'Lepiota' atrodisca OR group (PNW09, PNW10, PNW11, PNW12, PNW14) - Black cap scales making a distinct "eye", possibly black on the ring. The first 10 sequences of this mushroom turned out to be between 5 and 10 different species (yikes!), depending on how conservative you want to be, so this is obviously a species complex. In California there are related species with shades of grey or green instead of just pure black. All these are much rarer than the very common Leucocoprinus brebissonii, which is more delicate and never has any black on its ring. So far I have unique sequences of what could be 5 different PNW species, 4 of them with photos. They all belong in Leucoagaricus, for which the proper ending would be Leucoagaricus atrodiscus. 'Leucoagaricus atrodiscus PNW09', PNW10, and PNW12 © Ann Goddard, Jonathan Frank, and Daniel Morton 'Leucoagaricus atrodiscus PNW14' © Heather Dawson and Bitty Roy   Leucoagaricus PNW03 - Uniform blackish grey scales all over the cap. Small to medium, as the stem seems variably stocky. Found twice in Oregon and twice in Washington. Leucoagaricus PNW03 © Danny Miller and Matthew Koons White or brown caps - click to expand The caps are either pure white or have a "eye" of brown scales on the disc. Brown scales are rare in Leucoagaricus, so it is more likely that you have found Lepiota cristata, Lepiota kauffmanii or Lepiota castaneidisca instead of one of these. Check the bald stemmed, brown eyed Lepiota section as well. Species mentioned: Leucoagaricus opthalmus. Lepiota oculata, sequoiarum. Leucocoprinus cretaceus.   Brown eyes on a white cap These look especially like they belong in Lepiota, which has very similar species (i.e. Lepiota cristata). Not only can you probably not tell that these are Leucoagaricus instead of Lepiota without a microsocope, you probably can't tell the three of them apart without one either. 'Lepiota' oculata OR - Reddish brown cap scales forming a prominent eye on the disc. Not staining red. Described from Oregon. It belongs in Leucoagaricus. Probably rare. Leucoagaricus ophthalmus CA - Differs microscopically. Described from California and the DNA was also found in Oregon. Rare, at least in the PNW. Leucoagaricus PNW15 - this is a similar related species, but I don't know how to tell it apart except by DNA. It has a orange-brown eye and a little brownish pigment on the scales outside the eye. It has been found once in WA and once in CA. Leucoagaricus PNW15 © Shannon Adams   White caps 'Lepiota' sequoiarum CA - A mostly white 'Lepiota' described from California with reports as far north as Oregon and Washington (not necessarily only with Sequoia). We have DNA from California and need confirmed DNA from the PNW to make sure our local reports aren't one of the many other whitish species. It still needs to be moved to Leucoagaricus. Leucoagaricus PNW06 - This species was found once in Oregon and was all or mostly white, as far as I could tell from the dried out specimens. It could be mistaken for Leucocoprinus or Cystolepiota or 'Lepiota' sequoiarum. More information is needed. California also has all white relatives of Leucoagaricus rubrotinctoides not yet confirmed from the PNW. This species is related to L. oculata and L. ophthalmus. Leucoagaricus PNW07 - another all white species, with small warm brown scales on the cap, found once in WA, matching Else's collection 2561 from CA. It is more closely related to PNW03 with blackish grey scales than it is to PNW06. 'Leucocoprinus' cf cretaceus EU - All white Leucocoprinus-looking species with a more copious powdery covering than L. cepistipes. Found once in WA in wood chips with horse manure. This species is not in the Leucocoprinus clade, but with the other Leucoagaricus. We need local DNA to prove we have the real European species. Leucoagaricus PNW13 - one CA and two OR collections, pure white. unsequenced 'Lepiota' sequoiarum © Buck McAdoo,     L. PWN06 © NAMA and the Field Museum of Natural History,     L. PNW07 © Danny Miller,     L. cf cretaceus from outside NA © Daniel Winkler,     L. PNW13 © Jack Johnson