Mycena inclinata

Description

Mycena inclinata, also known as the clustered bonnet or oak-stump bonnet cap, is a mushroom species in the family Mycenaceae. This doubtfully edible mushroom has a reddish-brown bell-shaped cap and a thin stem that changes color from whitish to yellow-brown at the top to reddish-brown at the base. The gills are pale brown to pinkish, and the spore print is white. It's found in Europe, North Africa, Asia, Australasia, and North America. The mushroom's habitat includes hardwood logs and stumps, with a tendency to appear in spring and autumn, growing in groups. The cap color varies, and yellow stains may develop as the mushrooms mature.

The fungus, studied for its metal concentrations and dye decolorization abilities, thrives on decomposing organic matter in plant litter, breaking down cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin.

The classification of North American specimens, particularly in relation to its European counterparts like Mycena galericulata, remains debated among mycologists, hinting at potential genetic differences.

Common names: Clustered Bonnet, Oak-Stump Bonnet Cap.

Mushroom Identification

1. Cap

   The cap is 0.39 to 1.97 inches (1 to 5 cm) wide, starting broadly conical and turning bell-shaped with a central bump. It has radial lines or grooves, is tacky, and may have tiny fringe-like "teeth" on the margin when young. The color varies from brown to yellowish-brown, often developing yellow stains, and fades to dingy whitish in sunlight.

2. Gills

   The gills are narrowly attached to the stem, close or nearly distant, sometimes with cross-gills when mature. They are whitish to pale grayish, possibly becoming yellowish or pinkish with age, and they do not bruise or stain.

3. Stem

   The stem is 1.97 to 3.94 inches (5 to 10 cm) long, 0.08 to 0.16 inches (2 to 4 mm) thick, equal, and hollow. It may be bald or have tiny fibers and flakes, especially when young. The color is whitish near the top, yellowish to yellow in the middle, and brown to reddish-brown at the base.

4. Flesh

   The flesh is insubstantial and pale.

5. Odor and Taste

   The odor is mealy to foul, and the taste is mealy.

6. Chemical Reactions

   KOH test is negative to brownish on the cap surface.

7. Spore Print

   The spore print is white.

8. Habitat

   This mushroom grows on well-decayed hardwood in dense clusters, but it can also be found alone or scattered. It appears in spring and fall, and in warmer climates, it may overwinter. Abundant in the eastern part of North America, it has a broad global range, including Europe, the Canary Islands, North Africa, East Siberia, Japan, Malesia, Turkey, and New Zealand.

9. Microscopic Features

   Spores are 7-10 x 5-7 µ, amyloid, broadly elliptical, and smooth. Pleurocystidia are absent. Cheilocystidia are abundant and of the "broom cell" type, with rod-like projections and nodes. Pileipellis elements are diverticulate, with short nodes and rod-like projections.

Look-Alikes

1. Mycena maculata

   Bears some resemblance to M. inclinata, but is only associated with decaying hardwood logs and stumps, and is found in eastern North America, and sometimes on oak on the West Coast. In age, it develops reddish spots on the gills that are not seen in M. inclinata.

2. Mycena galericulata

   M. inclinata is often confused with the edible, a common species that is variable in cap color, size, and shape. M. galericulata typically has a bluntly conical cap that is dull gray-brown, and white to grayish veins that have numerous cross-veins.

3. Mycena polygramma

   Has a ridged stem that is bluish-gray.

History

In 1838, Elias Magnus Fries, a notable Swedish mycologist, initially identified the Clustered Bonnet as Agaricus inclinatus. Later in 1872, the renowned French mycologist Lucien Quélet reclassified it under the genus Mycena, giving it the current scientific name Mycena inclinata. The term "inclinata" in the species name refers to the inward or sloping orientation of the stem bases when these mushrooms cluster together.

Synonyms

• Hypophyllum spadiceum Paulet (1808) [1793], Traité des champignons, 2, p. 231, tab. 110, fig. 2

• Agaricus inclinatus Fries (1838) [1836-38], Epicrisis systematis mycologici, p. 107

• Agaricus galericulatus var. calopus Fries (1873), Icones selectae hymenomycetum nondum delineatorum, 1(8), p. 86, tab. 80, fig. 2

• Mycena galericulata var. calopus (Fries) P. Karsten (1879), Bidrag till kännedom af Finlands natur och folk, 32, p. 106

• Agaricus alcalinus ss. Cooke (1883), Illustrations of british fungi, 2, n° 234, tab. 187-b, fig. 225

• Mycena calopus (Fries) Ricken (1915), Die Blätterpilze, p. 437, pl. 111, fig. 3

• Mycena galericulata ss. Kauffman (1918), Michigan geological and biological survey, biological series 5, 26, p. 797

• Mycena alcalina var. luteopesKillermann (1931), Denkschriften der bayerischen botanischen gesellschaft in Regensburg, 18, p. 110

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