Fleshy Fungi of New Brunswick >> Entoloma subfuscum

Entoloma subfuscum Hesler

Three collections are presented here:

1. Gregarious in needle litter under Abies balsamea and Acer rubrum, Grand lake Meadows Protected Natural Area, New Brunswick (14-06-13/03)


2. Gregarious (3) in leaf litter and highly decomposed wood in forest dominated by Acer saccharum, Fagus grandifolia and Betula allegheniensis. Kennedy Lakes Protected natural Area, New Brunswick (28-06-1904)


3. Solitary in leaf litter in forest dominated by Picea rubens, Abies balsamea and Acer saccharum, Kennedy Lakes Protected Natural Area, New Brunswick (29-06-19/02)

Basidiospores pink in spore print, 5(6)-sided, heterodiametrical, reviving well in water but often remaining collapsed in Melzer's Solution, 9.6-13.0 X 7.0-9.1 µm, D/d = 1.16-1.57 (average[65/3]: 10.9 X 8.0 µm, Q = 1.37). Basidia 4-spored, broadly clavate to ellipsoidal, with proliferating clamps at the base. Hymenial cystidia lacking. Pileipellis a thin cutis of narrow hyphae overlying a subpellis of short broad cells, with end cells of the suprapellis slightly enlarged, with broad cells of subpellis 55-138 X 15.9-35.2 µm (average[13]: 95.9 X 26.5 µm). Pigments not encrusting, perhaps cytoplasmic but dilute and difficult to observe.

This a very common species in our area, especially early in the season. It is recongnized by its convex to conical umbonate pileus, long and very brittle stipe and farinaceous odour. Microscopically it is characterized by the presence of clamp connections on the basidia and by a pileipellis composed of an epicutis of narrow unencrusted hyphae overlying a subcutis of short broad cells.

Although readily recognized, this species is difficult to name with confidence. Using Hesler's monograph (Entoloma in Southeastern North America, J. Cramer, 1967) it seems closest to E. strictius, differing only in having a farinaceous odour. However, Noordeloos (Entoloma in North America, Gustav Fischer, 1988) examined the type collection described by Charles Peck in 1872 and found some disagreements with Hesler's interpretation of the species, most notably that the type material had abundant cheilocystidia and was probably related to the European species E. hebes. In fact Hesler had found some similar mushrooms with cheilocystidia and had named them E. strictius var. cystidiosum. This "variety" probably matches Peck's type, leaving the main cluster of Hesler's collections, and ours, in need of another name.

The name best fitting our collections seems to be E. subfuscum, described by Hesler for a collection made in the spruce-fir zone of the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. There are differences though: Hesler described his material as having a shorter and browner stipe than ours and it was found later in the season. However, Noordeloos also examined Hesler's type of E. subfuscum and described microscopic details almost exactly fitting our material. Noordeloos stated that E. subfuscum is a member of Entoloma Subgenus Nolanea Section Endochromonema, a group that includes E. cetratum, E. murinum, E. pallescens and E. cuneatum

.

Photograph: D. Malloch (14-06-13/03), 28-06-19]04, 29-06-19]02.