Candolleomyces candolleanus

🏷️ Description

Candolleomyces candolleanus, also known as the Pale Brittlestem, is a charming yet delicate mushroom found across Europe, North America, and even in parts of Iraq. This saprotrophic species thrives in grassy areas, near tree roots, and around stumps, typically appearing in small, scattered groups. With its distinctive hygrophanous cap that changes color from golden brown to pale buff, and its fragile, satiny white stem, C. candolleanus is a fascinating find for mushroom enthusiasts.

🍽️ Edibility: Edible but not recommended due to thin flesh, poor culinary value, and identification challenges.

The specific epithet candolleanus honors Swiss botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle.

Common names: Pale Brittlestem, Suburban Psathyrella, Fringed crumblecap, Common Psathyrella, Psathyrelle de De Candolle (French), Bleke franjehoed (Dutch).

🔎 Identification

🍄 Cap

• Size: 2–11 cm diameter.

• Shape: Initially conical, becoming rounded and finally with upturned margins.

• Color: Tan when young, hygrophanous (fades from honey-yellow to pale buff).

• Texture: Smooth, may crack in dry weather, with possible veil remnants on the margin.

• Flesh: Thin, fragile, dingy-brown.

📏 Stem

• Size: 1.57 to 3.94 inches (4 to 10 cm) tall, 3–7 mm wide.

• Color: White, satiny surface.

• Structure: Equal, sometimes twisted, hollow, fragile.

• Veil: Evaporates, leaving fragments on immature caps.

🍂 Gills

• Attachment: Adnate to seceding.

• Color: Pale grey-brown initially, turning medium-brown with age.

• Arrangement: Narrow, close, crowded.

🦠 Spores

• Size: 6.5–9 x 3.5–5 μm, smooth, elliptical.

• Color: Purple-brown to dark brown spore print.

🔬 Microscopic Features

• Spores: Reddish-brown, ovoid to ellipsoid.

• Basidia: Claviform, 4-spores, 15-18 x 7.5-8.5 μm.

• Cheilocystidia: Utriform, hyaline.

• Pleurocystidia: Absent.

🌳 Ecology

Saprotrophic, thriving on soil or dead wood in dense forests or plantations.

📜 Synonyms

• Agaricus mutabilis O.F. Müller (1778)

• Agaricus appendiculatus Bulliard (1788)

• Agaricus stipatus Persoon (1801)

• Agaricus stipatus var. ß appendiculatus(Bulliard) Persoon (1801)

• Agaricus violaceolamellatus de Candolle (1805)

• Agaricus candolleanus Fries (1818)

• Agaricus stipatus var. ß candolleanus (Fries) Pollini (1824)

• Agaricus dumortieri L. Marchand (1826)

• Pratella stipata (Persoon) Zawadzki (1835)

• Agaricus vinosus Corda (1841)

• Agaricus egenulus Berkeley & Broome (1861)

• Agaricus lanaripes Cooke (1863)

• Hypholoma appendiculatum (Bulliard) Quélet (1872)

• Hypholoma candolleanum (Fries) Quélet (1872)

• Agaricus felinus Passerini (1872)

• Agaricus coronatus Fries (1874)

• Agaricus catarius Fries (1874)

• Hypholoma appendiculatum var. stipatus(Persoon) Gillet (1876)

• Hypholoma coronatum P. Karsten (1879)

• Drosophila appendiculata (Bulliard) Quélet (1886)

• Drosophila candolleana (Fries) Quélet (1886)

• Agaricus corrugis var. vinosus Cooke (1886)

• Hypholoma felinum Saccardo (1887)

• Hypholoma lanaripes (Cooke) Saccardo (1887)

• Hypholoma egenulum (Berkeley & Broome) Saccardo (1887)

• Glyptospora lanaripes (Cooke) Fayod (1889)

• Hypholoma catarius (Fries) Massee (1892)

• Psathyra corrugis var. vinosa (Cooke) Massee (1892)

• Hypholoma cutifractum Peck (1895)

• Hypholoma flocculentum McClatchie (1897)

• Stropharia irregularis Peck (1900)

• Psathyra candolleana (Fries) C.E. Bertrand (1901)

• Psathyra appendiculata (Bulliard) C.E. Bertrand (1901)

• Hypholoma violaceolamellatum (de Candolle) Feltgen (1906)

• Hypholoma appendiculatum var. egenulum (Berkeley & Broome) S. Petersen (1907)

• Hypholoma mutabile (O.F. Müller) Morgan (1908)

• Hypholomopsis appendiculatum (Bulliard) Earle (1909)

• Hypholoma appendiculatum var. coronatum(P. Karsten) Bigeard & H. Guillemin (1913)

• Hypholoma inocybeforme Kauffman (1930)

• Hypholoma appendiculatum var. candolleanum (Fries) R. Heim (1934)

• Drosophila cataria (Fries) Romagnesi (1937)

• Psathyrella candolleana (Fries) Maire (1937)

• Psathyrella appendiculata (Bulliard) Maire & Werner (1937)

• Psilocybe albobrunnea Beeli (1938)

• Hypholoma stipatum (Persoon) S. Imai (1938)

• Psathyrella coronata (P. Karsten) M.M. Moser (1953)

• Psathyrella egenula (Berkeley & Broome) M.M. Moser (1953)

• Psathyrella microlepidota P.D. Orton (1960)

• Psathyrella candolleana var. solitaria A.H. Smith (1972)

• Drosophila scotospora Romagnesi (1975)

• Drosophila proxima Romagnesi (1975)

• Psathyrella proxima (Romagnesi) Bon (1983)

• Psathyrella scotospora (Romagnesi) Bon (1983)

Photo sources:

Photo 1 - Author: John Barkla (Public Domain)

Photo 2 - Author: jhannonarts (Sebastián Fornés)

Photo 3 - Author: Valentin Moser (CC BY 4.0)

Photo 4 - Author: joqatana (CC BY 4.0)