Leratiomyces percevalii
This mushroom, often adorned with brown scales and hanging veil fragments, thrives in grassy areas, roadsides, trails, and wood chips from mid to late winter.
Appearance
- Cap cream to cream-buff, 2-6 cm., often with scattered brown scales, and margins with hanging veil fragments when young
- True gills present on the underside of the cap
- Spore print purple brown
- Stipe (stem) is satiny or with brown fibrils, 5-13 cm. wide, and up to 1 cm. thick
- Grows alone to scattered
ID Tips
- May be confused with questionable stropharia (Stropharia ambigua) or spring fieldcap (Agrocybe praecox)
- Mulch maids
- Cap has scales and less conspicuous veil fragments on margins
- Grows in grass areas, along roadsides, on trails, and in wood chips
- Spore print purple brown
- Stipe (stem) is satiny or with brown fibrils and may have ring zone of darkened fibers
- Questionable stropharia
- Cap has more conspicuous veil fragments on margins
- Grows in natural woodlands
- Spore print purple-black
- Stipe (stem) is cottony and may have ring zone
- Spring fieldcap
- Cap is smooth and no veil fragments on margins
- Grows in grass and wood chips
- Spore print brown
- Stipe (stem) has thin fragile ring
- Mulch maids
At Edgewood
- See iNaturalist for observations in Edgewood
About
- Basidiomycetes – a major lineage of fungi that usually produce spores within basidia (club-like structures)
- Found from mid to late winter
- Saprotrophic – grows in grassy areas, along roadsides, on trails, and in wood chips
- Edibility (San Mateo County Parks prohibits removal of any natural material)
- Unknown
- Unless you are an expert, do not pick and consume wild mushrooms
Learn More
Kuo, M. 2021, Mar. The gilled mushrooms. MushroomExpert.Com.
Roehl, T. 2017, Jul. 14. #013: Characteristics of division Basidiomycota. Fungus Fact List. Fungus Fact Friday.
Roehl, T. 2017, Jul. 7. #027: Gilled mushrooms (agarics). Fungus Fact List. Fungus Fact Friday.
References
Desjardin, D.E., M.G. Wood, and F.A. Stevens. 2016. California Mushrooms: The Comprehensive Identification Guide. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon.
Kuo, M. 2009, Feb. Leratiomyces percevalii. MushroomExpert.com.
Wood, M., and F. Stevens. 2024. Leratiomyces percevalii. The Fungi of California. MykoWeb.