Phaeocollybia ammiratii

Appearance

Pileus: 2.5 cm X 9 cm broad; conic at first, then umbonate to plano-umbonate, finally plano-campanulate; when young, margins tightly inrolled becoming incurved then decurved, undulating when mature; surface viscid to glutinous, glabrous, at times with prominent wrinkles (rugulose); when young light brown on disc fading to orange brown towards margins with paler edges, when mature, uniformly reddish brown or somewhat zonate with a reddish brown disc, brownish orange margin and orange edge; context 4 – 6 mm at junction of stipe, firm, dry, ivory pallid to orange white, darkening to red brown where cut; taste variously described as ‘bitter’, ‘strongly cucumber-like’, or ‘chemical-like’; odour: ‘cucumber-like’.

Lamellae: ascending, at times free; spaced average to crowded; 8 mm broad, equal to ventricose, edges even at first then serrate and finally cracking and splitting, thin; yellowish white to light brown when young, then brownish orange when mature; bruising red brown, faces streaked with lighter brown; lamellue 3 or more tiers irregularly interspersed.

Stipe: 24 – 30 cm long (excavated) X 0.8 – 2.0 cm wide at apex, 0.2 – 0.8 cm wide at base; tapering downwards, flexuous, radicating, dry to moist to viscid when wet, with ephemeral appressed fibrils, soon glabrous, colours on apex pastel red to greyish red, with reddish brown on subterranean portion of stipe; context stuffed, fibrous, with a thick rind, context pallid ivory to greyish orange with pink red stains where cut.

Microcharacteristics: spore print pale brown; 8 – 10 X 5 – 6 µm, almond shaped, with a prominent apical beak, clamp connections present, with thin-walled clavate hymenial cystidia on the gill edges present.

Distribution

The states of Oregon and Washington, USA and British Columbia, Canada.

Habitat

Single to clustered under mixed conifers (Picea, Tsuga, Abies) or in mixed deciduous-coniferous forests (Pinus, Lithocarpus, Pseudotsuga); early fall