I agree, Alan – these don’t look quite like the european ones.

This species is closely related to Inocybe corydalina from Europe, but material collected by Kevin Bock in the Santa Monica Mountains on 28-Jan-2008 under Quercus is only 91% similar to European corydalina when comparing their ITS sequences. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of any greening or blue-greening species of Inocybe described from North America with metuloid cystidia and smooth spores.

Regards, Brandon Matheny
University of Tennessee

I’ve found I. corydalina several times in southern California and it’s always had the characteristic matsutake-like odor (sweet and a bit spicy). I wouldn’t ever describe it as radish-like at this point, but I also don’t think of radish as being exactly ‘pungent’ and odors as used by mycologists are really one of those things you have to learn from someone else who knows them.

Im glad we finally buried this mystery. Thank you alan most of all fro helping me with ID’ing this species. Im suprised its actually a psilocybe containing inocybe.

I shall go back soon after the next rain and look for more of them. I hope there will be more. Also, a follow up on this species will be done shortly. It is being analyzed again. Thank you for all the work alan. I finally made myself a mushroomobserver acct.

I sent these images on to Coleman McClenaghan, our US pholiota expert. Here’e what she had to say…

Hi Debbie,
About that mushroom. With the information given I don’t think Pholiota….spores are wrong. I don’t know about the other characters, not enough to go on. Pholiota subcaerulea; is a Smith and Hesler species, studied from four collections. I always get a little wary about Smith and Hesler species based on so few collections. Maybe the color of the pileus fits but in S&H’s type description they don’t mention roughened spores and they do mention pleurocystidia with highly refractive hyaline amorphous bodies. That fits the definition of a chrysocystidium. The cystidia shown on the mushroom observer did not seem to fit that description.

Bye
Coleman

The guy sure looks more like a Hebeloma, and I would go on what is “known”, Hebeloma has never been studied well, lots more has been done on Inocybe. But one clear thing perhaps, is that for Hebeloma the cap surface should be hyphae in a layer of gelatin, and Inocybe should not. Remember to not use KOH when looking for this, since the gelatin will desolve.

The spores you have there sure look like Hebeloma. Also Hebeloma should have lots of cheilocystidia, and no pleurocystidia, for most Inocybe (I think???) there should be thick walled pleurocystidia, but for some class of Inocybe there are not.

HAHAHAHAA!! I can’t believe you posted those prints, hehehe, so funny.

My guess:

Hebeloma sp.
(but you already know that)