המועדפים של bit

Found near a creek growing out of moss and mud. No trees close by.

Fruiting bodies range from 5mm to 13mm tall, caps are 4 mm to 6mm, with the stipe being 1mm to 1.3mm.

Spore measurements:

(16.2) 19.7 - 23.8 (26.2) × (3.4) 3.5 - 4.2 (4.4) µm, N = 9

Slight curve to the spores, other are more straight. Appears to be eight spored.

Asci measure at

(77.6) 77.61 - 89 × 8.3 - 9.8 µm,
N = 3

Amyloid, slight blue reaction in Melzers reagent. Asci are abundant throughout.

Paraphysis about 1.9 - 2.7 µm with the tip becoming slightly larger.

Spore deposit white. No distinct odor. Cap 2.3 cm across. Stipe 4 cm long x 3 - 8 mm thick, no red staining. Spores dextrinoid, (6) 6.4 - 7.2 (7.9) x (3.6) 3.8 - 4.2 (4.4) µm, Q = (1.4) 1.6 - 1.9 (2), N = 35, Me = 6.9 x 4 µm. Growing under Sitka Spruce.
More microscopic details: Cheilocystidia cylindrical, sometimes branched, 30 - 35 x 5.3 - 7.5 µm.

Pileus Covering Terminal Elements: 38 - 170 x 7.5 - 10 µm, cylindrical to narrowly lageniform. Those at the pileus margin were much shorter than those at the pileus center.
Based on shape and length of the pileus covering terminal elements, and the branching of the cheilocystidia, I believe this is Leucoagaricus ophthalmus as detailed in Lepiotaceous fungi in California, U.S.A. - 5. Lepiota oculata and its look-alikes by Else C. Vellinga (Mycotaxon vol 102, pp 267 - 280, October - December 2007).

Gregarious in bog. Growing mostly in Aulacomnium palustre and occasionally sphagnum spp. in very wet areas, sometimes entirely submerged (maybe by recent rainfall, picture #3).

Microscopy 7/4/23:
Spores 8.2 - 11.1 x 5.1 - 6.6

Found growing out of the soil in the middle of and along a trail, I noticed three different “patches” of them where a handful were fruiting together. With Doug-fir, western hemlock, likely Sitka spruce as well. Aroma just like candy caps, milk white. Size variable.

Spore deposit brown. Odor not distinct. Cap 2.3 - 2.4 cm across. Stipe pruinose, 2.7 - 3 cm long x 5 - 8 mm thick (with bulbous base), pink at the apex. Cheilocystidia and pleurocystidia present, with thick walls and crystal encrusted tips. Spores nodulose, (6.2) 6.7 - 7.7 (8.8) x (4.3) 4.6 - 5.5 (6.1) µm, N = 35, Q = (1.2) 1.3 - 1.6 (1.7), Me = 7.2 x 5 µm. Growing under alder and conifers.

No distinct odor. Asci 140 - 195 x 15 - 22.5 µm, tips amyloid. Ascospores 7 septate, (57.9) 61.5 - 77 (78.4) x (4.8) 5.2 - 6.3 (6.9) µm, Q = (9.6) 10.8 - 13.8 (14.9), N = 20, Me = 70.2 x 5.8 µm, Qe = 12.2. Growing in the soil under Western Redcedar, Shore Pine, Western Hemlock, and Douglas-fir.

Spore deposit brown. Cap 5 - 11 mm across. Stipe 25 - 45 mm long x 1 mm thick. Clamp connections present. Caulocystidia 55 - 100 x 12.5 - 22.5 µm. Pilocystidia readily observed, with bulbous base, 47.5 - 70 x 6.3 - 15 µm. Basidia 4-spored, 23 - 35 x 7.5 - 8.8 µm. Cheilocystidia lageniform, 50 - 61.3 x 10 - 12.5 µm. Pleurocystidia lageniform, necks not corkscrewed, 45 - 47.5 x 12.5 - 15 µm. Spores rough, 11.1 - 12.5 x 6.5 - 7.3 µm. A. H. Smith regards fruitbodies with 4-spored basidia and spores 11- 13 x 6 - 7 µm to be G. atkinsoniana var. atkinsoniana.

Spore deposit white. Fruitbody 6 cm side to side, 1 cm front to back, 3 cm top to bottom. Flesh pliable. Bruises orange to reddish brown. Spores allantoid, (4.1) 4.3 - 5 (5.6) x (1) 1.1 - 1.29 (1.3) µm, N = 25, Q = (3.3) 3.6 - 4.4 (4.9), Me = 4.7 x 1.2 µm. Growing on a conifer log, probably Sitka Spruce.

Spore deposit pinkish brown. Cap 1.7 - 5 cm across, hygrophanous. Stipe 4 - 8 cm long x 3.5 - 10 mm thick, hollow, abundant white basal mycelium. Cheilocystidia scant, cylindrical, subcapitate, or rostrate-ventricose. Basidia 38 - 55 x 10 µm, 4 -spored, clamp connections at the base. Caulocystidia abundant, cylindrical, typically 125 x 7.5 µm. Spores 5 - 6 sided, (8.7) 8.9 - 10.5 (10.8) x (6.9) 7.4 - 8.4 (9.1) µm, Q = (1.1) 1.13 - 1.3 (1.4), Me = 9.8 x 8 µm, N = 20. Growing under shore pine.

Growing on charred wood or burnt ground. Paraphyses straight or curved, tips swollen up to 6.3 µm wide. Asci tips blue in Lugol's solution. Asci 238 - 263 x 10 - 11.5 µm. Spores smooth, (14.9) 15.1 - 16.6 (17.1) x (8.2) 8.4 - 9 (9.2) µm, Q = (1.6) 1.7 - 1.9 (2), N = 20, Me = 15.7 x 8.7 µm, Qe = 1.8.

Within drip line of Pacific Madrone (Arbutus menziesii), and the trunk is about 12 in. diam. breast height and 20 feet away. Nearest Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) about 30 feet away. Nearest Oregon White Oak (Quercus garryana) 50 feet, and that tree is being suppressed. MF54878

WEW019 Was collected by Bitty Roy and Keyyana Blount on Feb 3, 2015 at Big Spires Prairie, which is a restored native prairie near Fern Ridge Reservoir, Lane County, Oregon.  The fungus is terrestrial and grass associated; the grass present was Festuca roemeri (native). This prairie had been burned a few months earlier, in the fall of 2014.  No trees were nearby.

Found by truffle dog Rye. Very strong raw horseradish scent. This specimen was found underground, but very close to another above ground fungus growing on the host bigleaf maple’s base, which looked to be a more mature version and had no odor. See last picture for comparison. This forest burned in 2020.

DNA 77 (tissue from white portion of fungus) and DNA 78 (tissue from black portion of fungus)

Widespread on decaying conifer log. Unburned forest.

Edited 7/7/24 to add spore photos:

Microscopy by Dan Morton, spore measurements by Bitty Roy:

"Spore measurements N=42, Range of length 3.23-6.16, average=4.95. Width range=1.67-4.49, average=3.16 with Image J, which is similar to what Dan Morton found with his set up on the same image: (4.5) 4.8- 5.8 (6.6) x (3.1) 3.2 - 3.5 (3.7) µm, Q = (1.3) 1.4 - 1.8 (2.1), N = 22, Me = 5.3 x 3.3, Qe = 1.6."

Found by truffle dog Rye, fruiting gregariously along an ephemeral creek bed. Some were visible without any digging (see the bright truffle in the creek photo).

Aroma predominantly of banana/starchy tropical fruit, with undertones of Kalamata olive. Fruit bodies dense, with rainbow tones in both the gleba and peridium including orange/yellow, pink, and purple.

Surrounding trees included mountain hemlock and firs. Elevation ~5500’. Notably, these were found a couple days after the first rains of summer/early fall.