Gillian Posted November 3, 2018 Report Share Posted November 3, 2018 I found this yesterday at the base of a hardwood, maple or ash, but it was solitary. I moved aside some leaf litter to see if any others were emerging but couldn't find any. I'm quite sure this is a nibbled Pluteus cervinus, gills attached to the cap, pinkish brown spore print, stalk without ring and a bit brittle (also nibbled by critters). I would like to see if I can prepare a gill to see pleurocystidia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted November 4, 2018 Report Share Posted November 4, 2018 Pluteus cervinus pleurocystidia are not difficult to find. No need for any fancy sectioning of the gill. Just use a razor to slice off a tiny piece of gill edge, smash-mount in Congo red (a stain really helps to see the cystidia), and view at 400x. You should be able to find large horned cystidia. What do you mean by "gills attached to the cap"? Gill attachment is always referenced with respect to the stipe. Looking straight down into the gills (second photo) the gills appear to be free of the stipe, ie. they do not reach the stipe. The photos of the cross-section are a bit ambiguous; can't really tell if there's contact with the the stipe. The biggest potential problem with IDing Pluteus mushrooms via pink spore print color is that Entoloma prints are very similar. But, your scope can help a lot here. Pluteus spores will be ellipsoid to subglobose, sometimes globose (for a few species), and smooth. Entoloma spores are jagged/angular, sometimes nearly polygonal, and often with a pronounced hilar appendage (pointed projection at which the pore had attached to the basidium). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gillian Posted November 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2018 Yes, sorry about my incorrect terminology. I meant that I thought the gills were free of the stipe. I can see now from the picture that the gill might be notched and there might be a remnant that does go down the stipe a bit. When I went out to check this morning the poor thing was too mushy to handle so I threw it away... This forum has been such a great learning experience, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted November 4, 2018 Report Share Posted November 4, 2018 Pluteus mushrooms tend to deteriorate very quickly. My guess is the lateral view of the sectioned mushroom provided a deceptive portrayal of gill attachment. I think some of the stipe was hiding the annular region separating the gills from the stipe. These really look like Pluteus cervinus to me. Too bad you didn't have the opportunity to scope the gills. Did you save the spore print? Scoping the spores would be useful here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gillian Posted November 5, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2018 I do still have the spore print but it is on paper. Can I transfer it to a microscope slide without getting too many paper fibres? Unfortunately I don't have anything to stain it with. Thanks for the helpful suggestions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted November 5, 2018 Report Share Posted November 5, 2018 Scrape some off onto a slide. You will probably get a few paper fibers mixed in. But it should be easy to tell the difference between fibers and spores at 400x. If you have no stain, or no KOH, then mount in water and cover with a slip before placing under the scope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gillian Posted November 5, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2018 OK, I'll try that, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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