Collybia fusipes?

[Duggstar]

I'm thinking Collybia fusipes, but they weren't densely clustered.

Habitat:
Northern Ireland. Mixed woodland.

Gills:
Pale ochre, sinuate, crowded, different lengths

Stem:
50mm x 4mm, ochre darkening towards the base, very finely fibrillous

Cap:
about
40 or 50mm diameter, pale ochre, smooth, flatish, convex, irregular
margin, hygrophanous drying paler with rust coloured blotches.

Spore print color:
White

[Dave W]

Most of the mushrooms formerly placed in genus Collybia have been assigned to a different genus. Many are now in Gymnopus, including G. fusipes. These small mainly white-spored gilled mushrooms are often difficult to ID to species. I agree that Gymnopus is probably the correct genus here. I don't know the species fusipes. If the stalks are densely covered in very short hairs (use a lens), then maybe G. confluens.

[Cedric]

Not for me: too thin and too fragile, also not brown enough and the gills are too thin. I am quite familiar with this one. One clear characteristics is that the stem extends down in a pointed "root" (Fusipes means spindle shaped) that I have not seen on any other similar mushrooms.

http://www.first-nature.com/fungi/gymnopus-fusipes.php

[Dave W]

Thanks Cedric. I have learned another mushroom... G. fusipes. Telling character is the tapered stalk base. I agree that the ones seen in this post are not G. fusipes.

[Cedric]

Glad to help (and surprised). It was a pretty common mushroom in Spain. I never got to taste it though, always planned to get around to it, but it comes out a the same time as Boletus and other choice species, so always left it for next time...