Psathyrella fragrans A.H. Sm.

Diagnosis fuente:  PERSOONIA - Suplement - Vol. 2 - THE DUTCH, FRENCH AND BRITISH SPECIES OF PSATHYRELLA - 1985E. KITS VAN WAVEREN - Rijksherbarium, Leiden, The Nederlands
     Cap in early stages 10-15 mm, conico-paraboloid with deflexed marginal area, substriate at margin over 1 mm, very dark purple reddish brown (Mu. 5 YR 3/2), near edge dark reddish brown (Mu. 5 YR 3/3), at edge brown (Mu. 7.5 YR 4/4), later (cap 20-25 mm) paraboloid, striate over 3-4 mm, rugulose, very dark reddish brown but with brown (Mu. 7.5 YR 4/4) 3 mm broad marginal zone, finally (cap 30-45 mm) convex to almost plane and only marginal zone slightly deflexed, striate up to half-way from margin, at centre still dark reddish brown (Mu. 5 YR 3/4), outside centre brown (Mu. 7.5 YR 4/4), entirely or only at centre rugose, hygrophanous, drying out to yellowish brown (Mu. 10 YR 6/4-5/4) with a trace of ochre, without pink, not micaceous and then also rather strongly rugose. Veil scanty, in earliest stages only as very delicate, radial, white fibrils on surface of cap, sometimes forming small tufts in a + 2 mm broad zone along margin, not appendiculate, very fugacious, absent in final stages. Gills 3-5 mm broad, fairly crowded, slightly ventricose, fairly narrowly adnexed, at first pale brown, soon ochre brown (Mu. 7.5 YR 4/4) or yellowish brown (Mu. 10 YR 5/6) but more ochreous, finally dark reddish brown (Mu. 5 YR 3/4), slightly veined, with paler or whitish edge. Stem 30-45 x 2.5-4 mm, relatively short (carpophores rather delicate as compared with P. piluliformis cylindrical, not rooting, hollow, white or sordid white from a very thin silvery white superficial] longitudinally fibrillose layer, underneath which stem pale brown above and darker downwards, brown at base; apex pruinose. Flesh of cap in centre 2-4 mm thick, dark purplish-reddish brown (Mu. 5 YR 3/2, 3/3), in stem distinctly brown. Smell distinct and sweet. Trama of ‘washed’ gill distinctly yellow-brown (Mu. 10 YR 5/4) from many anastomosing yellowish brown (Mu. 10 YR 5/4) strands (Mu. 10 YR 5/4) from many anastomosing yellowish brown (Mu. 10 YR 5/4) strands running from base to edge through the in itself pale brown (Mu. 10 YR 6/3) tissue. Spore print not recorded but very likely some shade of brown. 
    Spores 5.5-6.5 x 3-3.5 um (mean values 6 x 3.5 pm: 1 collection), in face view ellipsoidovoid, in profile ellipsoid to distinctly phaseoliform, in water, NHzOH 10%, and KOH 5% distinctly brown (Mu. 7.5 YR 5/4) with a trace of reddish, with very small germ pore (0.5 um) and emall hilar appendix. opaque to subopaque. Basidia 17.5-21 (-24) x 5-6 um, subcylindrical, 4-spored. Pleurocystidia 40-52 x 10-17.5 um, abundant, chiefly narrowly to broadly ventricose and broadly capitate, only few utriform or clavate; walls very slightly thickened; contents pale greyish with a distinct trace of brown or only very pale brown in NH,OH 10%. Marginal cells: pleurocystidioid cheilocystidia 30-40 x 10-15 um, numerous and rather densely packed; spheropedunculate and clavate cells 15-20 x 5-11 pum, also numerous, a few larger ones, 20-30 x 12.5-15 um, with walls often slightly thickened and pale brown. Hymenophoral trama in NH,OH 10% sub micr.: narrow hyphae strongly and broad hyphae faintly pigmented from membranal pigment, with many yellow hyphal septa, without encrustations. Pileipellis a 2-3 cells deep layer of fairly thick-walled subglobose cells, 25-50 pm diam., very pale brown in NH,OH 10%.
HABITAT & DISTRIBUTION. — Subcaespitose on coniferous tree stump. In the Netherlands found only once. Not recorded from France or the British Isles.