Hohenbuehelia mastrucata

Description

Hohenbuehelia mastrucata can be distinguished by its pleurotoid shape, brownish-gray to grayish cap covered with a tomentum of white to cream-colored scales, white spores, and a distinct gelatinous layer under the cap cuticle. It is rare and found on the deadwood of maples and other hardwoods in eastern North America.

Mushroom Identification

1. Ecology

   Saprobic on the deadwood of hardwoods (especially maples); growing alone or in overlapping clusters; summer and fall; widely distributed in eastern North America.

2. Cap

   2-7 cm wide; convex with an inrolled margin, becoming planoconvex or flat; semicircular to kidney-shaped in outline; rubbery and moist; covered with thick, gelatinous spines with blunt tips; dark brownish gray or bluish-gray, fading to grayish.

3. Gills

   Close or nearly distant; white to pale grayish.

4. Stem

   Absent.

5. Flesh

   Grayish or whitish; rubbery.

6. Odor and Taste

   Odor not distinctive, or mealy; taste not distinctive or slightly foul.

7. Spore Print

   White.

8. Chemical Reactions

   KOH on cap surface negative.

9. Microscopic Features

   Spores 7-9 x 4-5.5 µ; more or less elliptical; smooth; inamyloid. Cheilocystidia often clavate-capitate; to 45 x 7 µ. Pleurocystidia ("metuloids") abundant; lanceolate; to 100 x 20 µ; developing very thick walls and apical encrustations. Pileipellis a thin cutis-like tangle above a thick zone of gelatinized hyphae. Clamp connections are present.

10. Similar Species

    Hohenbuehelia grisea is smaller, with a dark gray patchy-tomentose cap, features a smooth, velvety, or hairy cap surface that lacks gelatinous spines.

Synonyms

1. Hohenbuehelia atrocaerulea var. mastrucata (Fr.) Krieglst.

2. Calathinus mastrucatus (Fr.) Quél., 1886

3. Pleurotus mastrucatus (Fr.) Sacc., 1887

4. Dendrosarcus echinatus (Sowerby) Kuntze, 1898

5. Acanthocystis mastrucata (Fr.) Konrad & Maubl., 1949

6. Geopetalum mastrucatum (Fr.) Kühner & Romagn., 1953

7. Hohenbuehelia atrocoerulea var. mastrucata (Fr.) Krieglst., 2000

8. Pleurotus hollandianus Sumst., 1906

9. Acanthocystis hollandianus (Sumst.) Singer, 1943

Photo sources:

Photo 1 - Author: Rocky Houghtby (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Photo 2 - Author: Rocky Houghtby (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Photo 3 - Author: Josh M.K. (suchen) (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Photo 4 - Author: Josh M.K. (suchen) (CC BY-SA 3.0)