Velvet-footed Pax

Description:

Cap: 4-15 cm; convex, becoming flat or vase-shaped; dry; velvety or finely hairy; yellow brown to reddish brown, becoming dark brown in age; the margin inrolled at first. Gills: Running down the stem; close or crowded; pale to tan or yellowish tan; frequently forked or with cross-veins near the stem. Stem: 2-12 cm long; 1-3 cm thick; frequently off-central or even lateral; thick and sturdy; pale near the apex, but covered with velvety brown to blackish brown fuzz below. Flesh: Thick and firm; pale to ochre. Odor and Taste: Not distinctive. Spore Print: Yellowish to brownish.

Habitat:

Saprobic; growing alone or in groups, sometimes in clusters; on conifer stumps or living conifers--also on madrone; summer and fall; widely distributed in northern North America.

Notes:

Most field guides treat this mushroom as "Paxillus atrotomentosus," but the classic members of the genus Paxillus, like Paxillus involutus, are terrestrial and (probably) mycorrhizal. In contrast, classic species of Tapinella (see Tapinella panuoides) are wood-decomposing saprobes, like Tapinella atrotomentosa. Spotted in Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.