Variable Oysterling

Description:

Pileus 4-20 mm broad, resupinate to reflexed, attached laterally or dorsally, flabelliform, dimidiate or reniform, white, villose or tomentose, dry. Context moderately thin. Lamellae radiating from a lateral point, white then ocher-flesh to pinkish-cinnamon, close or subdistant, medium broad, edges fimbriate. Stipe none, or present when young and then very short, eccentric, and temporary. Spores 4.5-6 x 2.5-3.5 (4) µ, oblong-ellipsoid, at times subovoid, punctate, pale brownish. Basidia 20-28 x 5-6 µ, 2-4-spored. Pleurocystidia none; cheilocystidia (18) 20-50 x 5-16 µ, clavate, ventricose, at times capitate, occasionally forked or branched, more rarely subcuneate. Gill trama interwoven, hyphae 3-7 µ broad. Pileus trama interwoven. Cuticle of repent hyphae, bearing a turf of hyphae 3-4 µ broad, colorless, densely tangled, those on the margin at times flexuous. Clamp connections present

Habitat:

location: North America, Europe edibility: Inedible fungus colour: White to cream normal size: Less than 5cm cap type: Other stem type: Lateral, rudimentary or absent flesh: Flesh fibrous usually pliable (like grass) spore colour: Light to dark brown habitat: Grows on wood, Grows on plant material/manure Crepidotus variabilis (Pers. ex Fr.) Kummer syn. Claudopus variabilis (Pers. ex Fr.) Gillet Gemeines Stummelfüsschen Crépidote variable Variable Oysterling. Cap 0.5–2cm across, kidney-shaped, white and felty-hairy, often lobed. Stem absent or rudimentary. Gills whitish at first becoming ochraceous flesh-coloured. Spore print clay-pink. Spores elliptic, minutely spiny-warty, 5–7 x 3–3.5um. Habitat on fallen twigs, old straw, dead grass or other vegetable debris. Season autumn to early winter. Common. Not edible. Distribution, America and Europe ( http://www.rogersmushrooms.com/gallery/D... )

Notes:

Observations: The collections we have studied seem to exhibit some variations in spore-width, and in the form of the cheilocystidia. Those which have spores up to 2.5-4 µ broad, and regularly shaped cheilocystidia, we interpret as C. variabilis var. variabilis; those with relatively broader spores (4-5 µ), we refer to variabilis var. subsphaerosporus; and, finally, those with typical spores (2.5-4 µ broad), but with filamentous, often flexuous and branched cheilocystidia, we refer to variabilis var. trichocystis ( http://www.mykoweb.com/Crepidotus/specie... ), ( http://www.mycobank.org/MycoTaxo.aspx?Li... )