Marasmius plicatulus
Bull. Torrey. Bot. Club 24: 142. 1897.
Common Name: none
Cap 1-4.0 cm broad, convex to campanulate, nearly plane in age; surface dry, velvety, mahogany-brown, rusty-brown or yellowish-brown, darkest at disc, striate to furrowed in age; flesh thin, pallid.
Gills nearly free, distant, broad, pallid to pinkish-buff.
Stipe 5-11 cm long, 1.5-3.5 mm thick, smooth, equal, brittle, mahogany-brown at base, lighter above; well developed white mycelial mat at base.
Spores 11-14.5 x 5-6.5 microns, elliptical, smooth, non-amyloid. Spore print white.
Scattered, gregarious, or in troops under oaks and other trees; fruiting from late fall through mid-winter.
Unknown, but too small and tough to be considered for the table.
This handsome Marasmius is recognized by its velvety mahogany cap, slender stature, widely spaced pallid to pinkish gills, and shiny, thin, wiry stipe. It's litter habitat is often shared with Mycenas, also small and white spored, but members of this genus have closer spaced gills, lack wiry stipes and have different cap cuticles.
Arora, D. (1986). Mushrooms Demystified. Ten Speed Press: Berkeley, CA. 959 p.
Desjardin, Dennis E. (1987). The Agaricales (Gilled Fungi) of California. 7. Tricholomataceae I. Marasmioid Fungi. Mad River Press: Eureka, CA. 100 p.
Desjardin, Dennis E. (1987). New and Noteworthy Marasmioid Fungi from California. Mycologia 79: 123-134.
Desjardin, D.E., Wood, M.G. & Stevens, F.A. (2015). California Mushrooms: The Comprehensive Identification Guide. Timber Press: Portland, OR. 560 p.
Siegel, N. & Schwarz, C. (2016). Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast. Ten Speed Press: Berkeley, CA. 601 p.
Smith, A.H. (1949). Mushrooms in their Natural Habitats. Sawyer's Inc: Portland, OR. 626 p. (PDF)
