Closest I can get to is Lepiota ignivolvata

[AAK]

Found in Hampshire at Queen Elizabeth Park on the Downs, in beech woods close to a tree stump. Cap diameter 8cm with a creamy yellowish colour with darker scales or cracking. The cap skin is loosely attached as it has come away from the edges, and when I peeled a segment, it tore off easily to the centre of the cap exposing white flesh. The gills are free, crowded and forked, and a creamy white in colour. The stipe is 9cm long with a bulbous base, fibrillose with the fibres more pronounced below the ring. The ring has a pronounced brown fringe.

I couldn’t really detect a smell, but possibly due to the power of suggestion, once I read L. Ignivolvata smelt of rubber on First Nature, this indeed was what I detected.

Nevertheless, the cap colouration doesn’t look right versus the vast majority of the images in guide books or the web, and the spore print is cream as opposed to white. Given its also regarded as uncommon, Im questioning the identification and wonder if there are other ideas or thoughts.

Thanks as always

[AAK]

Went back to Queen Elizabeth Park today, and far from being uncommon, there were dozens today. Im leaning now towards the Freckled Dapperling, which I believe is Echinoderma asperum at present. Guidebooks suggest its cap diameter is up to 10cm, but today they were up to 15cm. More likely?

[Lancashire Lad]

I don’t see many examples of the genus locally, but based on habitat and general looks, I’d say your suggestion of E.asperum is a good one.

There aren’t many of the genus (with those looks) that can reach that sort of size, but I’d still be wanting to do the microscopy to be properly sure.

Fungi of Switzerland has E.asperum (under a previous synonym Lepiota aspera) as reaching a maximum cap diameter of 150mm.

Regards,

Mike.

[AAK]

Thanks, appreciated.

[Author]

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