North American species of Mycena.

SUM YCENA: CALODONTES

209

States and Ontario in Canada. In Michigan it often occurs on old
hemlock knots lying buried in the soil and then is usually found growing singly. On logs and stumps it is more likely to be cespitose.
Material studied.-Smith, 32-52, 32-54, 32-55, 32-75, 33-160,
33-370, 34-68, 774, 906, 1302, 2511, 2546, 3143, 3437, 3448, 3722,
4209, 8027, 8482, 9515, 14826, 14889. Atkinson, 24129, 33464 (twospored). Hesler, 14206. Kauffman, five collections, Michigan and
Montana. Slipp, UIFP: 3116.
Observations.-Mycena purpureofusca is well characterized by its
dark-purplish rather than pale-rosy gill edges, the deep-purplish
fuscous disc of the pileus, from which it derives its name, its rather
tenacious consistency, and the very broadly ellipsoid spores. One
will experience the most difficulty in distinguishing it from M. elegantula, which usually has rosy to vinaceous-brown gill edges, and the
dominant color of the pileus is vinaceous brown.
96. MYCENA ELEGANTULA Peck
Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, 22:199. 1895
Prunulus elegantulus Murrill, North Am. Flora, 9: 337. 1916.
Mycena rubromarginata var. laricis Smith, Mycologia, 26: 307. 1934.
Illustrations:
Plates 29 B, 32; Text fig. 22, nos. 3-5.
Smith, Am. Journ. Bot., 22, pl. 1, fig. 4.
Pileus (5) 10-25 (50) mm. broad, obtusely conic with a straight
margin at first, remaining conic or becoming convex-umbonate to
campanulate, surface glabrous and moist, opaque, but becoming
translucent-striate to the disc at times before fading, color variable,
usually bright or dark vinaceous brown at first, the disc darker and
the margin brighter, fading to near avellaneous or retaining a strong
pinkish tint ("hellebore red" on the disc, "pale rhodonite pink" along
the margin, or "warm blackish brown" to "dark vinaceous brown"
on the disc and "livid brown" to "brownish vinaceous" on the margin,
sometimes "fawn color" or "wood brown" in age), becoming sulcatestriate on the margin; flesh moderately thick and rather firm, pallid
grayish to vinaceous, odor and taste not distinctive; lamellae close to
subdistant, 16-22 reach the stipe, two tiers of lamellulae, bluntly
adnate or hooked, narrow to moderately broad, white to grayish,
edges pale pink to sordid vinaceous, hymenial tissue forming a collar