Harefoot mushroom

Description:

The resemblance of the young fruit body to the paw of a rabbit has earned this species the common name harefoot mushroom. The color of the cap ranges from pale to very dark-brown at center beneath the whitish to silvery grey veil, but becomes paler towards the margin. As the mushroom matures, the shape of the cap becomes more conical or convex, and finally flattens out, with edges curved upward. The veil is initially whitish, then turns to a silvery grey or grey-brown; it eventually splits up, becoming hairy (fibrillose). The gills are freely attached to the stem, very thin and crowded closely together. Initially the color of the gills is white, then progresses to grayish brown then to black as the spores mature. In maturity the gill edges dissolve (deliquesce) into a black liquid. These mushrooms are evanescent, lasting only last a few hours before death; the autodigestive process is enhanced in humid environments. The stem is whitish in color, and is hollow, hairy (flocculose) over the whole surface but especially at lower part, and becomes smooth (glabrous) with age. The spore print is violet-black.

Habitat:

In a clear at a Holm oaks forest

Notes:

Camera Model: NIKON D300. Exposure Time: 1/3 sec. f/32 ISO Speed Rating: 200. Focal Length: 90.0 mm.