Psathyrella narcotica Kits van Wav

Diagnosis fuente:  PERSOONIA - Suplement - Vol. 2 - THE DUTCH, FRENCH AND BRITISH SPECIES OF PSATHYRELLA - 1985
E. KITS VAN WAVEREN - Rijksherbarium, Leiden, The Nederlands
     Cap 9-20(—26) mm, hemispherical-paraboloid to paraboloid, only slightly expanding, at first pale yellowish brown (slightly paler than Mu. 10 YR 5/4), soon becoming distinctly greyer from margin, later grey (Mu. 10 YR 6/1, 6/2) to pale brownish grey (Mu. 2.5 Y 6/2), at centre slightly browner, finally dark grey (Mu. 10 YR 4/1, 4/2), at centre with a trace of brown (Mu. 10 YR 4/3), at margin purplish grey (Mu. 5 YR 4/1) (colour of gills shining through), striate up to 2/3 from margin, hygrophanous, rapidly drying out to almost white, alutaceous (Mu. 10 YR 8/1, 8/2; 2.5 Y 8/2), at apex very pale brown (Mu. 10 YR 8/3), without pink, neither micaceous nor rugulose. Veil absent. Gills 1-3 mm broad, not crowded, ventricose near margin of cap, then straight, ascending, broadly adnate, at first pale grey to slightly purplish grey (Mu. 5 YR 6/1, 6/2) with a trace of brown (Mu. 10 YR 6/3) at base, later darker and finally very dark purplish grey (Mu. 5 YR 5/1), faintly brown (Mu. 10 YR 6/2) at base; edge white. Stem 25-65 x 1—2 (—2.5) mm, cylindrical or slightly thickening towards base, white but in lower 1/2-1/3 isabelline, hollow, rooting (pseudorrhiza10-25 mm, not fixed to either wood or dung); with pruinose apex, lower parts glabrous. Flesh of cap in centre 0.5-2 mm thick, pale yellowish brown (paler than Mu. 10 YR 5/4), of stem alongside gills concolorous with cap, for the rest white but isabelline in lower 1/2-1/3. Strong smell of scatol. exactly like Coprinus narcoticus. Trama of ‘washed’ gill practically colourless. Spore print purplish black.
     Spores 9-11(—11.5) x 4.5—6 wm (mean values 9.9-10 x 5.4 um: 3 collections), ellipsoid but adaxially flattened, in water red (Mu. 2.5 YR 3/6) in NH,OH 10% dark brown (Mu. 5 YR 3/3), in KOH 5% sordid brown (Mu. 7.5 YR 4/2), not opaque, with distinct germ pore (1.5—2 um) and small hilar appendix. Basidia 17.5-22.5 x 10—-11.5 um, 4-spored. Pleurocystidia35-55 x 10-15 um, scattered, lageniform, thin-walled, colourless, at apex often covered with a small granular mucoid deposit staining bluish green in NH,OH 10%. Marginal cells: pleurocystidioid cheilocystidia 27.5—50 x 7.5—15 ym, numerous, at apex and alongside neck covered by very small, medium-sized or larger (up to 16 um), irregularly shaped, elongate or globose, minutely to coarsely granular mucoid deposits staining bluish green in NH,OH 10%; intermixed with locally varying numbers of small inconspicuous spheropedunculate cells, 10-15

HABITAT & DISTRIBUTION. — Gregarious in grass on sandy soil.