Psathyrella rugocephala
Scientific name: Psathyrella rugocephala (G. F. Atk.)
A. H.
Smith
Derivation of name: Psathyr- means "crumbly" and
ella is a diminutive to distinguish the genus from
Psathrya. Rug- means "wrinkle" and cephal- means "head."
Rugocephala aptly describes
the cap of this species.
Synonyms: Hypholoma rugocephalum G. F. Atk.
Common name(s): Corrugated-cap Psathyrella.
Phylum: Basidiomycota
Order: Agaricales
Family: Psathyrellaceae
Occurrence on wood substrate: Saprobic;
scattered or in
groups on and around decaying
deciduous wood; July through
September.
Dimensions: Caps 5-10 cm wide; stipes 7.5-12.5
cm long and
0.5-1 cm thick.
Cap: Brownish to rusty brown, fading to tannish;
surface
coarsely radially wrinkled.
Gills: Attached; whitish, becoming purplish-brown to
black at
maturity.
Spore print: Purple-brown.
Stipe: Whitish, darkening to brownish below with white
mycelium at the base.
Veil: Fibrillose-membranous, not leaving a ring.
Edibility: Edible but not recommended due to
difficulties in
identification.
Comments: Macroscopically, Psathyrella
delineata (Peck)
A. H. Smith
is nearly
identical to Psathyrella rugocephala.
The two species
can
only be reliably separated on spore size
and spore morphology.
More information at MushroomExpert.com:
Figure 1.
Several specimens of Psathyrella rugocephala growing
on woody debris. Photo
© Gary Emberger.
Figure 2. The browish, wrinkled cap is an important first
step in identifying Psathyrella rugocephala.
Photo© John Plischke III.
Figure 3.
The cap surface of Psathyrella rugocephala is
described as corrugated and wrinkled and may even be somewhat
pitted. Photo
© Gary Emberger.
Figure 4. The dark cap color of young speciemns fades to a a
tannish color as in the specimen on the left.
Photo
© Gary Emberger.
Figure 5. There is usually abundant
white mycelium at the base of
the stipe.
Photo
© Gary Emberger.
Figure 6.
The partial veil may leave a ring zone on the upper
stalk and the cap margin may bear remnants of the veil.
Photo
© Gary Emberger.
Figure 7. Psathyrella delineata strongly resembles
P.
rugocephala. Reliable separation of the two species
requires examination of spore size and morphology.
Photo © William Roody.