Clitocybe glacialis

Appearance

Fruiting bodies produced by this fungus have caps that are 2 to 6.5 cm in diameter; the shape is convex to flattened. The cap surface is initially a silvery-gray , but becomes yellow or yellow-brown with age. Younger specimens may have a whitish surface bloom which may slough off in age.The gills are gray or dark gray, and closely spaced together; the attachment to the stem is adnate to almost free . The stem is 3 to 7 cm long by 0.5 to 1.5 cm thick, and roughly the same width throughout, or slightly enlarged at the base.Viewed in deposit, such as with a spore print, the spores appear white. Microscopically, the spores are smooth-walled, elliptical or oblong, with dimensions of 5.5–7 by 3.5–4.5 µm.

Naming

''Clitocybe albirhiza'' is a brown colored mushroom with similar stature, but it may be distinguished by the white rhizomorphs at the base of its stem, as well as fibrils on the cap that are arranged in zones. ''Melanoleuca angelesiana'' is another species found in the same environment; mature specimens of both species resemble each other. They are easier to differentiate when young, however, as ''C.  glacialis'' has a silvery-grey bloom that is lacking in ''M. angelesiana''.

Distribution

This mushroom is found at high elevations from late May until early August. It is referred to as a "snowbank mushroom" because fruit bodies typically appear around the edges of melting snowbanks. The species has been found in various locales in North America, including Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Alberta.

Habitat

This mushroom is found at high elevations from late May until early August. It is referred to as a "snowbank mushroom" because fruit bodies typically appear around the edges of melting snowbanks. The species has been found in various locales in North America, including Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Alberta.