Growing from duff underneath Picea pungens.
I have been looking for this one for a while..
Snowbanks at 6450 feet. Subalpine around spruce. On wood. Near a creek of melting snow.
Cap 5.0-7.0 cms., viscid, yellow-brown to orange-brown, somewhat fibrillose-scaly with darker orange patches.
Gills close, adnate.
Stem 4.0-5.0 x 1 cm, with a glutinous ring zone that disappears.
(Pic7) Spores elliptic 6.5-7.8 x 3.5-4.4; Qaver= 1.81, elongate.
(Pics 8-9) Pleurocystida lageniform, abundant, 70-75 x 11-13 with necks 4-6, no crystals observed, no
Pic10) Cheilocystia abundant in places, relatively similar in shape to pleurocystidia, stockier, with short, tapered necks, no crystals observed, 50-52 x 14-15 with necks 5-6.
Under conifers, Duglas fir dominant. Close to snow banks.
Lyophyllum species. Flesh stains slowly blackish. I suspect could be Lyophylum infumatum, that has been observed multiple times in this area, but it is new for me.
Microscopy hasn't been helpful, because the spores are immature.
I found 1 spore that it was sub-rhomboidal and of the proper size (pic 4) . Most are eliptical or roundish, really small.
Originally posted to Mushroom Observer on May 15, 2024.
In the same forest area with many of the smaller branched Phaeoclavulina that do not stain. See last posting.