Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Fungi
Phylum: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Tricholomataceae
Genus: Asterophora

Pileus: 1-3 cm, white becoming brownish from asexual spores, orbicular to convex.

Gills: Adnate, distant, often not well formed.

Stipe2-5 cm, equal, white, staining brown

The habitat on species of Russula and the powdery asexual spore dust on the cap are distinctive.

Widely distributed in North America but most common East of the Mississippi River.

On blackening species of Russula

Asterophora parasitica lacks the asexual spore powder.

none known

http://www.speciesfungorum.org/...

Mushrooms of West Virginia and the Central Appalachians by William Roody

Asterophora lycoperdoides (Bull.) Ditmar, J. Bot. (Schrader) 3: 56 (1809)

Synonymy:
Agaricus lycoperdoides Bull. [as ‘lycoperdonoides’], Herb. Fr. 4(37-48): tab. 186 (1784) [1783-84]
Artotrogus asterophora Fr., Summa veg. Scand., Section Post. (Stockholm): 497 (1849)
Artotrogus lycoperdoides (Bull.) Kuntze, Revis. gen. pl. (Leipzig) 3(2): 443 (1898)
Asterophora agaricicola Corda, Icon. fung. (Prague) 4: 8 (1840)
Asterophora agaricoides Fr., Symb. gasteromyc. (Lund) 1: 3 (1817)
Asterophora lycoperdoides Fr., Symb. gasteromyc. (Lund) 1: 8 (1817)
Asterophora lycoperdoides (Sowerby) Fr., Symb. gasteromyc. (Lund) 1: 8 (1817)
Asterophora lycoperdoides (Bull.) Ditmar, J. Bot. (Schrader) 3: 56 (1809) var. lycoperdoides
Hypolyssus lycoperdoides (Bull.) Kuntze [as ‘lycoperdodes’], Revis. gen. pl. (Leipzig) 3: 488 (1898)
Merulius lycoperdoides (Bull.) Lam. & DC., Fl. franç., Edn 3 (Paris) 2: 128 (1805)
Nyctalis agaricoides (Fr.) Bon & Courtec., in Bon, Migliozzi & Cherubini, Docums Mycol. 19(no. 76): 74 (1989)
Nyctalis asterophora Fr., Epicr. syst. mycol. (Upsaliae): 371 (1838) [1836-1838]
Nyctalis lycoperdoides (Bull.) Konrad & Maubl.