Just wondering

[dualsetters]

These pop up beside my maple each year. I think they are Hebaloma crustuliniforme , but the caps don't seem sticky. Not edibles , yet got my interest up.

[Dave W]

A species of Psathyrella. Spore print very likely dark purplish brown... although a few Psaths have pink/reddish prints. Hebeloma crustuliniforme has a light brown print... kinda like coffee with cream added. In my experience, it only occurs in fall.

[dualsetters]

I should have a print in the morning. This is the earliest these have come up, normally they are around maitake time .

[dualsetters]

Looks brown . Not picking up any other colors.

[Dave W]

That's an interesting spore print color for a Psathyrella, but not out of character for the genus. Most Psaths have very dark purple-brown prints, a few have almost black prints, a few have pinkish prints, a few pinkish-brown, and a few few reddish brown. I would call the color seen here "deep pinkish brown" or maybe "reddish brown." Here's a few possibilities...

P. camptopodum.

http://www.mycoquebec.org/bas.php?post=Psathyrella&l=r&nom=Homophron%20camptopodum%20/%20Psathyrelle%20%C3%A0%20pied%20courbe&tag=Homophron%20camptopodum&gro=33

P. pallidiceps is reported as having spore print "medium brown with a reddish tint." That seems a good match for the print color seen here.

With over 400 species of Psathyrella documented in NA, I'm sure there are other possibilities.

I'd bet $20 these are not Hebeloma crustuliniforme. Aside form the spore print being too deeply colored --H. crustuliniforme has a light brown, tannish, or perhaps slightly yellow-tinged print-- the growth pattern seems unlike H. crustuliniforme. This species is terrestrial and the mushrooms generally spread out into arcs or rings, not large clusters. The upper portions of stalks of H. crustuliniforme have little shiny flecks.

I'd guess the mushrooms seen in this post have stalks that are fairly fragile.

Nice job on the print, dualsetters. Notice how the red really shows up against the black background.

[dualsetters]

Thanks Dave.

I've seen this the past three seasons and have been curious. Always pops up in the exact same place. I learned everything I know about spore prints here lol ...