63
BRITISH MYCENA SPECIES - 5
ERNEST E EMMETT
Alasdair, Farnham Lane, Hesletnere, Surrey GU27 lHD
This paper is one of a series of occa-
sional communications which the author
intends to produce, to report progress in
the study of Mycena species; in par-
ticular, concerning work carried out by
the author. They will also serve as a vehi-
cle for raising awareness of relevant
work by others who are studying the
genus.
This article records some findings
about Mycena latifolia (Peck) A H
Smith, and some experience of
distinguishing between two closely
related species which often cause con-
fusion: M. filopes and M. metata.
Smith (1947) gives the habitat of M.
latifolia as "gregarious on needle beds
under conifers", and Reid (1968) describ-
ing a find of the species from Bedgebury
Pinetum in Kent, emphasises the prox-
imity of exotic coniferous trees. Kuhner
(1938) describes habitats as among short
herbs in the rides of deciduous forests
and in moss at the edge of an Abies
forest. He also quotes Favre as having
found a two spored form in Sphagnum
under Betula . Breitenbach & Kranzlin
(1991), describe the species as rare and
generally occuring in Picee forests , and
yet their only collection was apparently
in a "damp mossy poor meadow" . Maas
Geesteranus (1986) deduced that associa-
tion with conifers was normal but that
it may not be a strict asssociation.
Elborne et a1 (1992) cite plant debris in
open grasslands or in forests as
substrata.
During the examination of collections
at Kew the author discovered a collec-
tion of M. latifolia made by C E Broome
in 1886 from Warleigh Common near
Bath in Wiltshire. It was labelled M.
peltata, a name which Maas Geesteranus
(1984a) synonymises with M. concolor
(J E Lange) Kuhn. The herbarium sheet
did not reveal the habitat of Broome's
collection and the actual site is not
known. It is therefore impossible to
deduce any plant association. Mycena lat-
ifolia was undescribed at this time but the
confusion with M. concolor is under-
standable if one considers Friesian
characters only, see below. This may be
the earliest known collection of the species
to have been preserved and it pre-dates the
original description by Peck (1872).
Another collection of M. latifolia at
Kew was made in the Botanic Gardens
there by T Laessee in 1989 on "Pinus
debris near some Redwoods". The
decurrent lamellae of this collection and
habitus had led Laessdle to tentatively
identify the collection as M. concolor,
when first collected, (private com-
munication). This is an interesting
parallel with Broome's identification.
The author's next encounter with the
species was when examining collections
from the herbarium at Edinburgh. One
of the three collections was made by A
Orange in 1984 from a playing field at
L1andrindod Wells in Radnorshire. Cor-
respondence with the collector revealed
that the site was " und istin gu ished grass-
land" well away from any trees. It was
therefore most interesting when the
author, together with T Laessee, made
two collections from Ebernoe village in
Sussex, a green which serves as a play-
ing field ; the basidiomata were
associated with the grass roots and well
away from any trees. These observations
suggest that this species may be less rare
than has been supposed and may be fre-
quent on artificial rough grass sites,
perhaps where grazing is absent but
which may be occasionally treated with
inorganic fertilisers .
Mycena species most frequently
recorded from among open grass are M.
aetites, M. filopes, M. Ilevoelbe, M.
olivaceomarginata, M. cinerella and M.
flavescens, and several of these species
will be the subject of further papers. In
the case of the Ebernoe collection of M .
latifolia, the characters which suggested
64
that here was a different species were as
follows: the fairly sturdy appearance of
the basidiomata, their brown colour, the
decurrent lamellae which were cleanly
white and the unusually arealate pileus
surface of some of the specimens. It is
not suggested that this latter character
is diagnostic, but it added to the overall
field "jizz" of the collection. The stature
was most like some common forms of M.
aetites, but the colours and lamellae
were clearly different. It was only when
the cystidia were examined could the
identity be realised. These are very
characteristic of the species which
makes it easy to identify, see the accom-
parrying diagrams. The only other
species with similar cystidia so far
described, occur in the Mediterranean
area and the United States. These species
both lack the verrucose hyphae of the
pileipellis which are present in M.
latifolia.
Fig. 1: Mycena latifolia (a) cheilo/pleuro-
cystidia and spores ofcollection E92084, Eber-
noe, W. Sussex, England. 26 Sept, 1992 Em-
mett & Laessee. (b) similar of Broome's col-
lection from Warleigh Common, Wilts,
England, 2 Oct, 1868 - see text.
It is worthwhile to include a brief
description of the Ebernoe collection
since few are recorded in the literature.
Basidiomata in troops. Pileus 13-18mm
convex to almost plane, some with col-
lybyoid or marasmioid appearance;
sepia, drying hazel from edge inward.
Some caps cracking in an areolar man-
ner, (the recent weather had been quite
wet with 40mm of rain in the previous
week in the area) surface rather dull.
Flesh thin and white, odour faintly mea-
ly. Lamellae decurrent, 17-19 reaching
the stipe, convex 2-4mm deep, cleanly
white, edge concolorous and even, inter-
veined. Stipe 22-32 x 1-1.5mm, tough
(could be twisted 180 and recover),
0
cylindrical, equal and smooth; sepia with
some paling above, attached to grass
roots by a mat of off-white mycelial
threads. Basidia clavate 4-spored,
20-25 x 5-7J!m. Spores 8.3-10.8 x 4.2-5 J!m
average Q = 2.3, amyloid. Cheilocystidia
mixed with basidia but numerous and
similar to the abundant pleurocystidie,
(see drawings). Lamellar trama pinkish
orange in Melzer's reagent. Hyphae of
the pileipellis verrucose with some bran-
ched excrescences. Hyphae of the cor-
tical layer of the stipe mildly diver-
ticulate with some prominent ex-
crescences. Clamp connexions present
in the pileus and stipe. (The spores found
in Broome's collection also had Q values
exceeding 2).
M. Iilope« and M. metata are in the
section FILIPEDES of Maas
Geesteranus (1984a), characterised by
possessing clavate cystidia with short ex-
crescences on the head. It is one of
several groups of the genus which are
not easy to identify in the field. In a later
paper, it is hoped to consider the species
of this group which occur in Britain as
a whole. The commonest species is M.
filopes which occurs in many habitats
from grassland to all sorts of woodland,
on herbaceous litter, leaves and other
debris from trees. It is quite variable in
appearance, in habit and colour which
may vary from almost white (though not
pink), to very dark brown, but usually
paler at the margin of the pileus. Finds
in deciduous woodland or on lignicolous
debris, may be confused with M. erceng-
eliene, which can present with similar
cystidia to it. However the author has
found, in common with Breitenbach &
Kranzlin (1991), that the Q value for M.
arcangeliana spores does not exceed 1.5,
whereas that of M. filopes spores is
almost invariably greater than 1.6.
In lawns and other sites, another
species in the group, M. flavescens may
be confused with M. Iilopes since the

former usually lacks the yellow lamellar
edge referred to in some keys, and has
a similar habitat to some forms ofthe lat-
ter. The characteristic smell of "raw
potatoes" of this species when crushed
and the usually simply verrucose
cystidia serve to distinguish it quite well.
It is M. metata which presents the most
confusion. Typical collections of the lat-
ter species, coming from coniferous lit-
ter or other litter on poor soils, present
a rather different face in the field to the
ubiquitous M. filopes. It usually has a
delicate pink tinge to the basidiome, and
at least the lamellae are pinkish even in
young basidiomata. Many species of the
genus become a sordid pink with age,
but with M. metata it is a more delicate
colour and a good field character once
one is familiar with it. However, the
species is found in broadleaved habitats
as well and not all collections present
this colour readily. The species may oc-
cur alongside M. filopes in most
habitats.
Fig. 2: (a) Mycena metata, cheilocystidia
above, caulocystidia below, collection E92171
- see Plate 1 for details. (b) Mycena Iilopes
caulocystidia above, cheilocystidia below, col-
lection E92144 - see Plate 1 for details.
The drawings represent typical
cheilocystidia of the two species with the
smaller sphaeropendunculate type more
or less absent from M. metata. However
the stipitate type often occur in M.
filopes. The differences cited by Maas
Geesteranus (1984b) which the author
has found most useful, relate to the
caulocystidia and the stipitate cheilo-
65
cystidia. In the case of the cheilocystidia,
the length rarely exceed 30",m in M. Iil-
opes whereas in M. metata they are
more voluminous and may reach 70",m
in length. Caulocystidia are said to be
rare in the latter species, but easy to find
and often with clavate tips in the former.
The author has found this less reliable
in that it is often possible to find
caulocystidia in M. metata, although it
is true that clavate ones have not been
seen; with M. filopes the caulocystidia
are not infrequently lacking a clavate tip
although they are usually more easy to
find.
The author wishes to thank the Keeper
of the Herbarium of the Royal Botanic
Gardens of Kew for allowing the use of
the facilities there, to D Pegler for con-
tinued co-operation and support and T
Laessee for acting as an expert associate
in the studies. I would like also to thank
A Orange for his help and R Watling and
the Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh
for co-operation and access to the collec-
tions held there.
REFERENCES:
BREITENBACH. J & KRANZLlN. K (1991). Fungi of
Switzerland 3. Boletes and agarics. 1st part.
Lucerne: Verlag Mycologia.
ELBORNE. S A: LAESSDE. T & (/)STMOE. K H (1992).
Mycena in Nordic Macromycetes 2. Polyporeles,
Boleteles, Agericeles, Russulales.
KOHNER, R (1938). Le Genre Mycena In Encycl.
Mycol. 10.
MAAS GEESTERANUS (1984a). Studies in Mycenas
122-146 in Proc.K.Ned.Akad.Wet.(Ser.C): 87,73.
MAAS GEESTERANUS. R A (1984b). Conspectus of the
Mycenas of the Northern Hemisphere - 3. Sec-
tion Filipedes in Proc. K. Ned. Akad. Wet. (Ser.
C) 87. 413-447.
MAAS GEESTERANUS, R A (1986). Conspectus of the
Mycenas of the Northern Hemisphere - 8. Sec-
tion Intermediee, Rubromarginatae in Proc. K.
Ned. Akad. Wet. 87. 413-447.
PECK. C H (1872). in Rep. N.Y. St. Cab. 23: 81, pI. 6
fig. 8-14.
REID, D (1968). Coloured leones of rare and in-
teresting fungi. Part 3. Nova Hedwigia 15, Suppl.
14-16, pI. 21b.
SMITH. H A (1947). North American Species of
Mycena. University of Michigan Studies. Scien-
tific Series 17.
CORRIGENDUM
FEBRUARY 1993 7(1): On Page 10. Plate A
is Mycena aetites and on Page 11. Plate A is
Mycena galopus.
66

Plate 1, Top: Mycena latifolia, Ebernoe village green, W. Sussex, England. 26 Sept, 1992 E92084
in rough grass. Lower Left: Mycena filopes, Haslernere, Surrey, England. 3 Nov, 1992 E92144
in a lawn. Lower right: Mycena metata, Witley Common, Surrey, England. 24 Oct, 1992 E92127
in litter including Pteridium, Betula, and Quercus leaves in grass on siliceous soil.
Photos: E E Emmett
 67

Plate 2, Top: Mycena flavescens, Kew Gardens, Surrey, England. Sept, 1992 TL2886 T
Laessee, in grass, (compare with M. filopes opposite). Photo: T Laessee, Bottom: Mycena
arcangeliana, another variable species usually attached to wood. Left: The Mens, W. Sussex,
England, 12 Nov, 1992 E92176 with mycelium attached to leaves, but also to a buried twig,
under Quercus & Fagus. Right: Leighton Moss RSPB reserve, Silverdale, Lanes, England, 30
Oct, 1992 E92136, on mossy bole of Salix. (Small forms of M. fHopes can also occur in similar
situations). Photos E E Emmett