Panellus mitis

Description

Panellus mitis is a species of fungus belonging to the Mycenaceae family. It is a small bracket fungus most often found in late autumn and early winter. Always on dead twigs and branches of conifer. Widespread.

It is an inedible mushroom, its color varies from white to cream and there are gray and beige, its size is less than 5 cm, and the spores are white, cream, or yellowish.

Common names: Elastic Oysterling.

Mushroom Identification

1. Cap

   0.5-2 cm in diameter, kidney-shaped, at a young age with a turned-up edge. The surface of the cap is smooth, silky, sticky, initially white, whitish, pinkish, off-white, and later darkens or turns brown. The skin is easily removed from the surface.

2. Gills

   The gills are thick, slightly descending on the stem, at first whitish or grayish, later yellowish.

3. Stem

   The stem is lateral, short, conically narrowed to the base, velvety or finely flaky, whitish or grayish.

4. Flesh

   The flesh is thin, elastic, crusty, white, and odorless.

5. Spores

   3.5-5 * 1-1.2 μm, narrow-cylindrical, amyloid.

6. Spore Print

   White.

7. Habitat

   It grows from August to November, as well as in warm winter, in coniferous and mixed forests, on dry branches of pines and spruces, in small groups.

Synonyms

1. Agaricus mitis

2. Dendrosarcus mitis Kuntze 1898

3. Panus mitis Kühner 1980

4. Pleurotus mitis

5. Urospora mitis Fayod 1889

6. Urosporellina mitis E. Horak 1968

Photo sources:

Photo 1 - Author: Jerzy Opioła (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Photo 3 - Author: Michel Langeveld (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Photo 4 - Author: Jerzy Opioła (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Photo 5 - Author: Jerry Cooper (CC BY-SA 4.0)