Notes: A couple of species are likely candidates to fit these photos, which are from Debbie Viess. More of her photos and an explanation of her ID adventure is on the Bay Area Mycological Society web site. Both have a strong, disagreeable pungent odor and according to Largent (1985) only one is known to occur in CA; Camarophyllopsis subfuscescens var. odora. This species starts out a honey-yellow and fades to gray. I did not locate any photos, but descriptions are in Largent and Hesler & Smith. The original description is also on line: Sydowia 8:318. (1954). Bird & Grund and Hesler & Smith both have descriptions and B&W photos of the variety Camarophyllopsis subfuscescens var. subfuscescens.

The other species is Camarophyllopsis foetens. It starts out dark brown to deep brown and fades to a pale reddish beige. No photos located but descriptions are in Bas and Hesler & Smith. Specimen deposited at San Francisco State Univ.

Same specimen as Observation #2277 which has a photo taken when the mushrooms were fresher.

References:
Bas, C., TH. W. Kuyper, M. E. Noordeloos and E. C. Vellinga. 1990. Flora Agaricina Neerlandica: Critical Monographs on Families of Agarics and Boleti Occurring in the Netherlands. Volume 2: Pleurotaceae, Pluteaceae, Tricholomataceae (1). A. A. Balkema, Rotterdam, Netherlands. 137p.

Bird, C. J. and D. W. Grund. 1979. Nova Scotian Species of Hygrophorus. Proceedings of the Nova Scotian Institute of Science Vol. 29, Nova Scotia Museum, Nova Scotia. 131p.

Hesler, L. R. and A. H. Smith. 1963. North American Species of Hygrophorus. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee. 416p.

Largent, D. L. 1985. Hygrophoraceae. The Agaricales (Gilled Fungi) of California. Mad River Press, Eureka, CA. 208p.