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 - 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.

Chlorophyllum molybdites © Christian Schwarz

Chlorophyllum rhacodes (rachodes) - 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).

Chlorophyllum rhacodes © Steve Trudell

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

Chlorophyllum brunneum © Steve Trudell

Chlorophyllum olivieri - This species does not have the prominent white areas between the scales, but is more of a uniform brown.

Chlorophyllum oolivieri © Steve Trudell

Chlorophyllum agaricoides - 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 © Steve Trudell

Macrolepiota procera - 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.

Macrolepiota procera © Buck McAdoo

Echinoderma - click to expand

• medium to large species with erect scales on the cap and staining colours, uncommon to rare. They are most closely related to Cystolepiota, but some genes suggest it might be inside Cystolepiota instead of beside it. We'll have to see what happens.

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.

Echinoderma sp. 1 - This species, the first 2 times it was photographed, had a uniformly cold brown coloured cap. The third collection, unfortunately, 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, seemingly unlike the similar species 3. 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. A decade old collection of a mostly white mushroom may be this species.

Uniformly brown Echinoderma sp. 1 © Danny Miller & Marty Kranabetter.     Mostly white sp. 1 © Sharon Squazzo.     Mostly white probable sp. 1 © Danny Miller

Echinoderma sp. 3 - This species has a possibly colder brown cap than sp.1 and a shaggy/scaly stem but the stem scales seem more appressed than loosely chunky. Compared to sp. 1 and 4, it seems to show some white between the cap scales as it expands (neither mostly brown nor mostly white), and the stem itself retains more scales. 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 sp. 3 © Danny Miller

Echinoderma sp. iNat63939282 - This collection was extremely scaly with a coloured juice on the young specimens. It superficially resembles Echinoderma sp. 3 in age, and I am awaiting results to see if it is a distinct species, or if it is the same as sp. 3.

Echinoderma sp. iNat 63939282 © Matthew Koons

Echinoderma sp. 4 - Species 4 is much like species 1 and 3, with a rich milk chocolate coloured cap, but 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%). I have a second collection from WA that I am sequencing to see if it's the same thing and if the "scales only on the disc" is a reliable way of identifying this species.

Echinoderma sp. 4 © NAMA and the Field Museum of Natural History

Echinoderma sp. 2 aff flavidoasperum - 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 sp. 2 aff flavidoasperum © Danny Miller

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 its own genus, 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 retaining the genus name here. This 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 - 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 above 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.

Leucocoprinus brebissonii © Steve Trudell

Leucocoprinus cf birnbaumii - 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 cf birnbaumii © Michael Beug

Leucocoprinus cf cepistipes - All white, or with pale brown scales. Found both indoors and outdoors. We need local DNA to determine if we have the same species as in Europe. Since most of these are non-native, introduced species, it would not be surprising if ours was the same as the European species.

Leucocoprinus cf cepistipes © Michael Beug

Leucocoprinus cf ianthinus - Purple. Found only indoors. Two asian sequences differ by 4 bp. I don't have any local sequences. The type is from the UK. Again, though, it is likely that we have the real species as it is never found in the wild.

Leucocoprinus 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 - 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 (Ohio) to compare to.

probable Leucocoprinus cf flavescens from eastern North America © Stephen Russell

Leucocoprinus cf cretaceus - All white with a more copious powdery covering than L. cepistipes. Found once in WA in wood chips with horse manure. We need local DNA to prove we have the real European species.

Leucocoprinus cf cretaceus from outside North America © Daniel Winkler

Leucocoprinus heinemannii - 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.

Leucocoprinus 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, petasiformis

Family Verrucosporaceae.

Cystolepiota cf seminuda group EU - Our least rare species in this genus is probably the most slender one. It has a white cap with pinkish stem 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 2 genetic species in the PNW, neither the likely real thing. Nor are they closely related to our best guess of the real thing. The second species was especially slender, but there was only one fruitbody.

Cystolepiota cf seminuda #1 and #2 © NAMA and the Field Museum of Natural History, iNaturalist user haunma

Cystolepiota aff bucknallii - 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.

Cystolepiota aff bucknallii © Lauren Ré

Cystolepiota cf moelleri - 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.

probable Cystolepiota cf moelleri © A and O Ceska

Cystolepiota oregonensis - 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 - Not petite (~3cm) white, cottony mushroom turning smoky coloured in cap and gills in age. Described from WA, and we have California DNA but need Washington DNA to confirm theirs is the same species.

Cystolepiota petasiformis - 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.

Cystolepiota petasiformis © Christian Schwarz

Cystolepiota aff petasiformis - Found once in Washington, this is a rare sister species. No photo or description yet. Very rare.

Melanophyllum - click to expand

• a small (<5cm) amazing Cystolepiota that evolved coloured red and/or green spores
• greyish-brown cap, bright red free gills and scales all over the cap and stem.

Species mentioned: Melanophyllum haematospermum

Family Verrucosporaceae.

Cystolepiota ('Melanophyllum') haematospermum complex - Olive green spores when fresh, reddish brown spores when dried. This is a group of species, all called Melanophyllum haematospermum. Worldwide, there are at least 10 species concepts with ITS DNA >3% different from each other, but studies have not yet found any macroscopic or microscopic differences to be able to tell them apart yet. If the DNA is continuously variable without distinct clades, and no other differences can be found, perhaps it will still continue to be considered one species. But it's certainly possible ours could be given a unique name. We only have DNA from California so far, not the PNW.

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.

Cystolepiota ('Melanophyllum') aff haematospermum © Andrew Parker

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 (some are reported as deadly poisonous) Species mentioned: Lepiota megnispora, ventriosospora, clypeolaria, erminea, alba, subincarnata, josserandii, helveola.   Lepiota magnispora - 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. The mushrooms in this group have been reported to be deadly poisonous. Lepiota ventriosospora - 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. probable Lepiota magnispora © Steve Trudell   Lepiota clypeolaria - 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 clypeolaria © Jan Agosti   Lepiota erminea group - 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. 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 sp. FJ235149 OR DNA of an undescribed species in this group was found in southern Oregon near oak. I have no collection data yet about its colour or other details. We need more collections.   Lepiota aff subincarnata - This deadly species has pinkish scales on the cap and pinkish shaggy scales on the stem. It stains slightly reddish. It is not closely related to the L. magnispora group of deadly species, but instead, closer to the L. castanea group of deadly species that normally have sharper scales on their stems. Sometimes mistakenly called Lepiota josserandii. Not unommon. 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 subincarnata © Michael Beug   Lepiota cf helveola - This is a species similar to Lepiota subincarnata with pinkish-brown scales, perhaps with a stem that is a little scalier and less shaggy. It has been reported from the PNW but needs confirmation. We have DNA from European and eastern North America collections that resemble this European species, but we no confirmed DNA from anywhere yet. We need collections from everywhere to prove it is here.

Scaly stems - click to expand Scaly stems, (some are reported as deadly poisonous) Species mentioned: Lepiota castanea, pilodes, fuscosquamea, clypeolarioides, cortinarius, felina, fuscovinacea.   Lepiota aff castanea - This European species has warm brown scale colours and sharper scales on the stem than in the species with shaggy stem scales (in this photo they only remain at the bottom of the stem). It has been reported to be deadly poisonous. PNW BC sequences are about 10 bp different than European sequences, eastern NA sequences and a BC sequence close to the Yukon border (which all seem to be the real species). Lepiota aff castanea © Daniel Winkler   Lepiota aff pilodes - 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 aff pilodes © Buck McAdoo   Lepiota sp. 5 (iNat35547281) - This newly detected species (from BC and WA) is also similar to L. castanea. We need a way to tell it apart. Lepiota sp. 5 (iNat35547281) © Danny Miller   Lepiota fuscosquamea - 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 - 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. I also don't know if it is deadly.   Lepiota cortinarius - 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 aff felina - This species has very dark brown scales instead of warm brown scales on the cap and stem, but it's reportedly not quite inside one of the two deadly clades, and may not be deadly. 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 one of the other deadly ones in this section. That may have been his closest brush in his years long experiment. Our species is 6bp from European sequences, so we may need a new name. In other parts of the world, they have their own potential species similarly distant. Lepiota aff felina © Steve Trudell   Lepiota fuscovinacea - This species has purplish-brown scales. We have DNA from Europe but need to confirm its presence in the PNW (there's only been one report I know of).

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.   Leptiota cristata - 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 © Daniel Antone   Lepiota aff cristata - 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 aff aff cristata (sp. 9) - Some BC sequences are 7-12 different from Lepiota aff cristata (~2%). Given that Lepiota cristata has 1.5% variation within its species, I don't know if this should represent a different species or not. Lepiota aff aff cristata (sp. 9) © Jonathan Frank   Lepiota kauffmanii - 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 castaneidisca group - These species are very similar to L. cristata, but tend to have more reddish brown colours and no umbo. 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 match species #2. We need more collections to see if we also have species #1 here. Lepiota castaneidisca #2 © Richard Morrison   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.

Unknown species - click to expand Poorly known other potential species. Species mentioned: Lepiota subnivosa, subfelina, concentrica, amplifolia.   Lepiota sp. 8 (MF955106) - DNA found twice in BC, once in CA. No photos or description.   Lepiota sp. 3 (MF955085) - A related species, DNA found twice in BC, once in Norway as cf Echinoderma pseudoasperulum, but it appears much more likely this and sp. 8 are Lepiotas instead, forming their own branch.   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.

Family Agaricaceae. Some are still officially called Lepiota because they haven't been moved yet to Leucoagaricus , but make no mistake. They are not Lepiotas, which are in a different family (Verrucosporaceae). They are definitely members of Leucoagaricus.

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 (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 leucothites, smooth white and scaly grey © Steve Trudell   Leucoagaricus barssii - 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 barssii © Steve Trudell   Leucoagaricus americanus - 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. This east coast mushroom is also found throughout the PNW. It has been mistaken for the similar European Leucoagaricus bresadolae. Leucoagaricus americanus © Michael Beug   'Lepiota' aff fuliginescens - Somewhat velvety brownish scales on a white background, clavate stem base. Flesh stains orange-red (occasionally yellow) when damaged or old. It lacks the spindle shaped stem of L. americanus. In California, the species in this complex are stocky. In OR, WA and BC, the two collections we have photos for of our local PNW sister species appear to be more slender with a long stem. More collections are needed to verify this. If so, then while the true 'Lepiota' fuliginescens belongs in the large group, our related species will have to be keyed out with the smaller species. 'Lepiota' fuliginescens still needs to be renamed to Leucoagaricus fuliginescens. This species has incorrectly been reported as Leucoagaricus badhamii, a European species that is practically identical except for spore size. Uncommon to rare up here. California sequences of this California mushroom cluster into two clades with no real discernable microscopic nor macroscopic differences (one of them being the real thing). Sequences from southern OR, WA and BC represent a third species (not the real thing, but a sister species), with about 10 total 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 I said, our local sister species appears to be more slender than the real thing, which is a larger, stockier Leucoagaricus. stocky 'Lepiota' fuliginescens complex member from California © iNaturalist user satucker, slender, long stemmed PNW species from OR © Jonathan Frank and WA © 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 adelphicus © Mushroom Observer user Len (placeport), © Bruce Newhouse   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. Leucoagaricus cupresseus © Danny Miller   'Lepiota' pulverapella - 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 would belong in Leucoagaricus.

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 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 - 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. Described from WA. probable 'Lepiota' castanescens © Ron Pastorino and Christian Schwarz   'Lepiota' flammeotincta - Every part stains quickly red when touched except the gills for some reason. Described from OR. I've found more local sequences of this species than the other three. probable 'Lepiota' flammeotincta © Shannon Adams   Leucoagaricus erythrophaeus - This species is a little stockier and may sort of have a collar around the stem that the gills attach to, instead of going straight into the cap. It was described from California, but there have been reliable reports throughout the PNW. We still need to prove it with sequences, though. It has previously incorrectly gone by the name Lepiota roseifolia, an older California mushroom whose true identify is still not known for sure. probable Leucoagaricus erythrophaeus © Ron Pastorino   Leucoagaricus georginae - 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. Pink scaly caps - click to expand Species mentioned: Leucoagaricus roseilividus. Lepiota decorata.   Leucoagaricus roseilividus - A beautiful, delicate, lilac-pink scaled species. Previously known as Lepiota roseolivida. 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. Leucoagaricus roseilividus © Noah Siegel   'Lepiota' decorata group - 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 the real thing. '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, glabridiscus, purpureolilacinus. Lepiota rubrotinctoides.   'Lepiota' rubrotinctoides - 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. It has often been misidentified in the past as the European Leucoagaricus rubrotinctus. 'Lepiota' rubrotinctoides © NAMA and the Field Museum of Natural History   Leucoagaricus aff rubrotinctoides - 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 aff rubrotinctoides © Bitty Roy   Leucoagaricus sp. 4 cf rubrotinctoides - 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 sp. 4 cf rubrotinctoides © NAMA and the Field Museum of Natural History   Leucoagaricus glabridiscus (=purpureolilacinus?) (=sp. 2?) - This species is said to be bitter tasting and more delicate with a bit darker colouration. This California mushroom (also reported from OR, WA and ID) is said by some to be the same as the European Leucoagaricus purpureolilacinus but we have no west coast DNA to compare it to to find out. In Europe it is a complex of species, meaning ours may not be the real thing and it may be best to keep using our local name. One possible candidate for L. glabridiscus is L. aff rubrotinctus, above, but the one photo we have is pretty stocky, and the sequence of L. purpureolilacinus that it is close to is not the most likely candidate for the real thing. Another somewhat likelier candidate is something I'm calling Leucoagaricus sp. 2 for now, found once in Oregon. It is a sister species of something that could be L. purpureolilacinus. We have no photos, and we need collections. Black scales - click to expand The cap scales are blackish on these species. Species mentioned: Lepiota atrodisca   Leucocoprinus brebissonii, above, is even more delicate and never with any black on its ring. 'Lepiota' atrodisca group - Black cap scales making a distinct "eye", possibly black on the ring. 9 sequences of this mushroom (7 from CA, 2 from OR) so far turn out to be between 5 and 9 different species (yikes!), depending on how conservative you want to be, so this is obviously a species complex. Described from Oregon. Data from Oregon is scarcer, but so far we have 2 species here and we need more sampling. 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. 'Lepiota' atrodisca group member © Michael Beug   Leucoagaricus sp. 3 - Uniform blackish grey scales all over the cap. Small to medium. Found twice in Oregon and once in Washington. Leucoagaricus sp. 3 © Danny Miller 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, pakistaniensis. Lepiota oculata, sequoiarum.   Brown caps 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 can't tell the two of them apart without one either. 'Lepiota' oculata - 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 - Differs microscopically. Described from California and the DNA was also found in Oregon. Rare, at least in the PNW. Leucoagaricus sp. 1 aff pakistaniensis - Found once in Washington, this sequence is 9bp and 1 indel from the type sequence of Leucoagaricus pakistaniensis, which has a brown eye and is somewhat related to Leucoagaricus rubrotinctoides. Perhaps our sister species similarly has a brown eye, but I have no photos yet.   White caps 'Lepiota' sequoiarum - 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 is actually in Leucoagaricus. possible Lepiota sequoiarum © Buck McAdoo   Leucoagaricus sp. 6 - This species was found once in Oregon and was all white. 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 sp. 6 © NAMA and the Field Museum of Natural History

Cystoderma and Cystodermella - click to expand

• small (usually <5cm), covered in granular scales on both the caps and stems, and found on the ground.
• Most are orange to red, although white forms exist for several species. Common.

Cystoderma usually have amyloid spore walls (turning black in iodine) and Cystodermella don't. They look very much the same, but are not as closely related as you might expect. Cystodermella is not in the same family as the other "attached gilled" genera, and may be in its own family.

Species mentioned: Cystoderma amianthinum, Cystoderma jasonis, Cystoderma carcharias, Cystoderma fallax, Cystodermella granulosum, Cystodermella cinnabarina (terryi), Cystodermella adnatifolia

Cystoderma amianthinum group - This is the palest, brightest orange to yellow-orange coloured mushroom group in the section. The gills and cap flesh are almost pure white. It is thought to only leave a trace of a ring, but some specimens have had a fairly substantial ring and been mistaken for C. carcharius, below.

There are two closely related genetic species in the EU (the second of which may be the real thing if an epitype sequence is to be believed). We have single sequences from WA of both, mathing #1 very well but about 6-8 bp different than #2. Far more common is a third species that often has a reticulated cap like var. rugosoreticulatum, although that is a European variety and the DNA of our common species has only been found here in the UK so far. Although some varieties of C. amianthinum were promoted to species level because they are genetically quite distinct (var. longisporum to C. jasonis, below, and var. sublongisporum to C. intermedia) our group members are closely related and could potentially remain as varieties. We need more collections to see how to tell these species apart.

Cystoderma intermedium's European type sequence is the same as Cystoderma carcharias below. Cystoderma amianthinum var. sublongisporum was reported from the PNW as declared a synonym, but now it doesn't seem like it can be, so it should be investigated what the genetics are of var. sublongisporum.

Cystoderma amianthinum #1 and #3 © Danny Miller

Cystoderma jasonis - Very similar, perhaps less likely to be found in moss, perhaps a little darker in colour and with a brown tint to the gills and cap flesh. It is so similar to the C. amianthinum group that it was never noticed to be present in the PNW until a UBC student found and sequenced one. The biggest difference is microscopic - longer spores. It used to be considered a variety of C. amianthinum (var. longispora) but it's not closely related enough to be a variety. Considered rare for now, but maybe not, as nobody has been looking for it. There is an albino form in Europe that should be looked for here.

Cystoderma jasonis © Noah Siegel

Cystoderma carcharias (Cystoderma carcharias var. fallax)

This species has the most well developed ring of any species in this group. Cystoderma carcharias is a rare white EU mushroom, and Cystoderma fallax is a common orange-brown WNA mushroom that was found to be identical except for colouration, so it was reduced to a variety, Cystoderma carcharias var. fallax. They can have identical ITS DNA, so thinking of it as only a variety might be the proper nomenclature, or perhaps even just a colour form. European sequences of both colours may vary from each other by as much as 3 bp, but most consider it all one species. Our local PNW var. fallax sequences are an additional 2-3 bp different. So far I am considering them all the same species. The ring can wear off making it resemble other species.

Cystoderma carcharias (var. fallax) © Steve Trudell, (var. carcharias) © Boleslaw Kuznik

'Cystoderma' gruberianum - This small (<3cm) clay-brown capped mushroom is found on Doug fir logs instead of on the ground, has a conic cap, and has very large amyloid spores compared to other species. It was described from Oregon, and is very rare (not found again since it was described in 1949). I'm not convinced it's actually a Cystoderma but somebody will need to find it again or sequence the type to figure out what it is.

Cystoderma gruberianum © University of Michigan

Cystodermella granulosa (Cystodermella granulosa var. ambrosii) - Cystodermella granulosa has a darker orange-brown to reddish-brown cap than Cystoderma jasonis. It has no extra sterile cells on the gill edges (cheilocystidia), unlike Cystodermella cinnabarina, below. It has inamyloid spores, like all Cystodermella. Our local sequences are 3bp and 3 indels different than European material, but so far considered to be the same species. This common species is also rarely found with a white cap, called Cystodermella ambrosii, but does not have any different ITS DNA when it does, so it has recently been redescribed as a variety, Cystodermella granulosa var. ambrosii, and may even more correctly be considered just a colour form.

Cystodermella granulosa © Andrew Parker

Cystodermella adnatifolia - This east coast species is also found out here (sequenced collections from near Mt. Rainier and near Stampede Pass in WA). It is a more brightly coloured cap than the similar C. granulosa, and the same lack of cheilocystidia and inamyloid spores. It is probably uncommon, since it has gone unnoticed.

Cystodermella adnatifolia © NAMA and the Field Museum of Natural History

Cystodermella cinnabarina - Also more brightly coloured like C. adnatifolia, this common species has large sterile cells on the gill edges, giving them a fringed appearance under a hand lens if you don't have a microscope. One OR sequence is an exact match except for a few ambiguous locations and a couple of WA sequences are 2 bp different from EU material, so there is strong genetic evidence of this species here.

Cystodermella cinnabarina © Lauren Ré

Cystodermella subpurpurea - Described from Oregon, so it's definitely here, but it's another rare species not found again since it was originally described in 1948. It has a very small (<1cm) grey cap with a purplish tinge. We need to find it again or sequence the type to find out what it really is.

Phaeolepiota - click to expand

• Notable for pale yellow to orange brown spores. This will make it difficult to place it in this family. Uncommon.
• large size (up to 20cm or more) and orange leather-like veil that is extremely thick.

Species mentioned: Phaeolepiota aurea

Phaeolepiota aff aurea - It is quite a wonder to find one, but it is fairly uncommon. It appears to be a sister genus to Cystoderma. Two Washington sequences are identical to each other, but 2% different than more than a dozen European sequences, so our species appears to be unique and needs a new name. Occasionally reported with free gills.

Phaeolepiota cf aurea © Steve Trudell

Floccularia - click to expand

• larger, stockier mushrooms than Cystoderma/Cystodermella, scaly cap and stem, found on the ground, usually with bright yellow colours.
• the Lepiotoid genus most easily confused with Tricholoma, but uncommon.

Species mentioned: Floccularia albolanaripes, luteovirens

Floccularia albolanaripes - Described from Oregon, this mushroom somewhat resembles a veiled Tricholoma. It has bright yellow scaly cap often with brown on the disc, and a very shaggy stem.

Floccularia albolanaripes © Andrew Parker

Floccularia cf luteovirens - This European species is supposedly even scalier on the disc (bright yellow scales) and has been reported from the PNW, but perhaps only once since the 1950's. We need collections to prove whether or not it's actually here, or if these represent reports of F. albolanaripes.

Leucopholiota - click to expand

• small orange mushroom, scaly all over, with amyloid spores like Cystoderma but growing on decayed wood instead of on the ground. Rare.

Species mentioned: Leucopholiota decorosa, lignicola

Leucopholiota sp. - Leucopholiota decorosa was described from NY, and is one candidate for what our species might be. Another is the boreal species Leucopholiota lignicola, described from Scandanavia, since all 4 collections found so far in the PNW are from about 51 degrees north or higher in BC. We need both local sequences and Scandanavian sequences to find out.

Leucopholiota sp. © Paul Kroeger

Squamanita - click to expand

• very rare, very cool parasites on other mushrooms that seem to turn the mushroom into a hybrid, with the attacked mushroom on the bottom half and the purple-grey Squamanita on the top.

Species mentioned: Squamanita paradoxa, contortipes, pearsonii, odorata

Squamanita paradoxa - Described from Oregon. Greyish-purple parasite on Cystoderma amianthinum and Cystoderma carcharias. Note that the bottom half of the mushroom still looks like Cystoderma and the top half is a Squamanita.

Squamanita paradoxa © Kit Scates Barnhart

Squamanita cf pearsonii - This British species is very similar to S. pardoxa but differs microscopically. One report from Washington needs to be verified.

Squamanita contortipes - Described from Washington. Our smallest species, <1cm across, Mycenoid, greyish-purple on Galerina species.

Squamanita cf odorata - This European species has a notable sweet, grape odor. It parasitizes Hebeloma mesophaeum. A Squamanita found in the 50's clearly had that same odor but sequences will need to be made to verify that ours is the same species.