Inocybe pallidicrema
Mycologia 69:399. 1977.
Common Name: none
Misapplied names: Inocybe lilacina (Peck) Kauffman; Inocybe geophylla var. lilacina Gillet
Cap 12-30(40) mm broad, obtusely conic-umbonate to convex-umbonate, expanding to plano-umbonate; young margin fibrillose, incurved, maturing decurved to plane, in age sometimes rimose-striate; surface dry, at first glabrous, becoming silky-fibrillose, evanescent lilac, with a brownish umbo, soon fading to pale lilac grey, maturing dingy straw yellow to light brown, context white, firm, up to 3 mm in width near the disc; odor spermatic; taste mild..
Gills adnate to notched, close, relatively broad, up 3-5 (7) mm in width, ventricose, ash grey at first, becoming dingy brown, edges paler, minutely fringed (use hand lens); lamellulae in two series.
Stipe 25-40 x 3-4 (6) mm in width, straight to occasionally bent, equal, stuffed becoming hollow, base typically sub-bulbous; surface pale lavender in youth, becoming pallid, apex pruinose, elsewhere covered with longitudinal fibrils; partial veil evanescent, fibrillose, pale lavender (seen only in immature specimens), leaving sparse evanescent fibrils in an annular zone high on the stipe.
Spores 7.5-10.5 x 4.5-5 microns, smooth, amygdaliform to elliptical in face-view, inequilateral in profile with curved and flattened side; hilar appendage inconspicuous, spores dull brown in deposit. Cheilocystidia fusoid-ventricose, apices weakly to not encrusted; pleurocystidia and caulocystidia similar.
Singly or in small groups in needle duff of conifers such as pines (Pinus sps.), Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and hemlock (Tsuga spp.) fruiting from fall to mid-winter; common.
Likely toxic.
Inocybe pallidicremea is a small lilac colored Inocybe with a silky fibrillose, umbonate cap. In the San Francisco Bay area it occurs most commonly under Monterey pine (Pinus radiata), but can also be found with other conifers. Historically it has been known as Inocybe geophylla var. lilacina or Inocybe lilacina. The name change to Inocybe pallidicremea results from molecular and morphological studies by Matheny that indicate the names I. lilacina or I. geophylla var. lilacina have been misapplied to at least 3 similar lilac tinged species in the United States. The most common and widespread of these is now correctly named Inocybe pallidicremea described above. The “real” Inocybe lilacina appears to be restricted to the eastern U.S. and differs from I. pallidicremea by smaller size and a persistently purple cap. Another California Inocybe, previous called I. lilacina, has now been described as new—Inocybe ionocephala. It is also found with conifers and differs from I. pallidicremea with a noticeably thicker white stipe, up to 10 mm broad, and paler lilac cap. Finally, another Inocybe, I. sublilacinus is morphologically almost identical to I. pallidicremea and is currently known from collections in Colorado and the northeastern U.S. It is told apart by slightly larger, more elliptical vs amygdaliform spores. The name Inocybe pallidicremea seems curious for a lavender species, but is understandable when one considers how quickly the lilac color fades to buff or pale tan, the stage that was likely used for a description. Inocybe pallidicremea should be compared with a number of lilac to purple colored mushrooms. These include a few distantly related Inocybes with lilac tinged caps but overall are brownish, fibrillose to squamulose, not silky fibrillose. Less likely to be confused are Clitocybe nuda and several Cortinarius species which while similar in color, are much larger.
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— also in the I. lilacina clade
— also in the I. lilacina clade
