Pluteus atromarginatus (Singer) Kühner
Bull. mens. Soc. linn. Lyon 5: 51. 1935.

Photo: The marginate nature of the gills is not evident in this photo.

Common Name: none

• Pileus

  Cap 6-11 cm broad, convex, expanding to plano-convex, often with a low umbo; margin at first incurved, becoming decurved, plane to occasionally uplifted; surface moist, the disc tomentose to matted tomentose, nearly black, elsewhere radially streaked with grey-brown appressed fibrils; context white, firm, unchanging, thin, except up to 1 cm at the disc; odor mild, taste mild to slightly of radish.

• Lamellae

  Gills free, close, whitish, becoming dingy-pink, the edges brown; lamellulae up to 5-seried.

• Stipe

  Stipe 5-12 cm long, 0.7-1.3 cm thick, solid, equal to enlarged slightly at the base; surface of appressed grey-brown fibrils over a pallid background; veil absent.

• Spores

  Spores 6.0-7.5 x 4.-4.5 µm, ovoid to broadly ellipsoid, smooth, hilar appendage not evident; spore print pinkish-tan.

• Habitat

  Solitary to scattered on conifer wood or debris, e.g. Monterey pine (Pinus radiata) stumps and logs; fruiting in the early fall.

• Edibility

  Edible, but untried locally.

• Comments

  Distinguishing features of this handsome wood rotter are a streaked, brownish-grey cap and brown-marginate, free gills. It is sometimes confused with the more common Pluteus cervinus, but the latter has a uniformly brown cap and lacks marginate gills. Another dark-capped Pluteus occasionally found is Pluteus magnus. It is more robust than P. atromarginatus, has a nearly black cap, and like P. cervinus, lacks marginate gills. Though Pluteus species are seldom picked for the table, inexperienced collectors should be aware that members of the genus Entoloma, many of which are toxic, are similar in stature and also have pink spores. They can told apart, however, by attached gills and a terrestrial, not lignicolous habit.

• Other Descriptions and Photos
  • Fred Stevens: Pluteus atromarginatus (CP) -- the marginate gills
  • Boleslaw Kuznik -- Hunting for Mushrooms: Pluteus atromarginatus (CP)
  • Bas et al. (1990): p. 34 (D & I)
  • Breitenbach & Kränzlin (vol. 4): sp. 124 (D, I, & CP) [P. nigrofloccosus]
  • Jordan: p. 201 (D & CP)
  • Orton: p. 20 (D)
  • Phillips: p. 138 (CP), p. 139 (D)

  (D=Description; I=Illustration; P=Photo; CP=Color Photo)