Stropharia hardii

Appearance

Description:

Cap: 4–10 cm; convex, becoming broadly convex or nearly flat; sticky at first, but soon dry; brown in button stage but soon golden brown to brownish yellow; bald overall, with a few inconspicuous, dark brownish spots or tiny innate scales; the margin not lined.

Gills: Narrowly attached to the stem; crowded; short-gills frequent; beige at first, becoming brownish gray and eventually dark brown with a purplish hue.

Stem: 3–8 cm long; 1–2 cm thick; equal; dry; with a fragile but persistent white ring that features a lined upper edge; bald or finely hairy (but not conspicuously shaggy-scaly); white, discoloring yellowish brown in places; base often with white mycelial threads.

Flesh: White; unchanging when sliced

Distribution

Summer and fall- widely distributed east of the Great Plains.

Habitat

Saprobic; growing alone, scattered, or gregariously on woody debris in hardwood forests or on woodchips