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Species Information
Summary: Entocybe nitida is characterized by 1) a moderately large, broadly bell shaped, shiny, nonstriate cap that is colored dark blue to almost black, 2) close, broad, pallid gills, 3) a long, slender, dark blue, fibrillose-striate stem that is white to pale yellowish at the base, and 4) microscopically by subisodiametric, angled-nodulose, pink spores, lack of cystidia, and a thin cap cuticle of densely entangled subgelatinized hyphae. Some mycologists believe it should be a Rhodocybe species. Baroni(3) present evidence assigning this taxon to a new name, Entocybe nitida (Quel.) T. J. Baroni, Largent & V. Hofstetter.
Entocybe nitida is found at least in WA and northern CA (Castellano(1)). Baroni(3) does not list Entocybe nitida among the seven Entocybe taxa that "have been identified in North America that belong in this new genus", and says that the "other members of Entocybe that have been identified are European", but lists two collections of Entocybe nitida from NY. There are BC collections at the University of British Columbia.
Gills: "nearly free to narrowly adnate, close to crowded, broad"; "buff or dingy white at first, then pink", (Castellano), whitish then pink (Moser), not very close; white, (Courtecuisse)
Stem: 3-8.5cm x 0.25-0.5cm, equal or narrowing slightly downward, sometimes almost rooting; dark blue to blue black, base white or dingy yellow; dry, shiny, longitudinally fibrillose-striate, sometimes twisted, (Castellano), 5-8cm x 0.4-0.7cm, dark blue to steel blue, base whitish, (Moser), up to 9cm long and 0.5cm wide, twisted, metallic blue-gray paler than cap, pale yellowish (illustrated whitish) in lower part, (Courtecuisse)
Odor: slightly farinaceous or radish-like (Castellano), mild to somewhat radish-like (Trudell)
Taste: mild (Castellano)
Microscopic spores: spores 6.5-9 x 6.5-7.5 microns, "subisodiametric, 6-8 angled in side view but angles rounded and almost nodulose, angled in end view"; basidia 4-spored; cystidia none; cap cuticle a thin ixocutis of repent cylindric hyphae 2.5-6 microns wide, "densely entangled and embedded in a thin, gelatinous matrix", hypodermium of inflated cells 25-60 x 20-25 microns; stem cuticle of repent parallel hyphae, (Castellano)
Spore deposit: deep pink to pink-brown (Castellano)
Habitat / Range
singly or in small groups under conifers or in mixed hardwood-conifer forests, July through November, (Castellano), coniferous woods (Moser), in woods, mainly coniferous, (Courtecuisse), "widespread and sometimes locally abundant in moist western conifer forests where it occurs on humus and litter", (Trudell), summer, fall
Similar Species
Leptonia carnea is almost identical in appearance but has larger, less nodulose spores (8.8-13.3 x 6-10.4 microns), and a stipitipellis with clusters of loosely entangled to interwoven hyphae, (Castellano); Entoloma medianox (as E. bloxamii) is larger and fleshier with a farinaceous odor, (Trudell). Rhodocybe trachyospora var. purpureoviolacea differs in 1) having a cap that is "distinctly translucent-striate when moist and colored purple-gray or dark brown-gray with purple tints and typically fades to shades of brown", 2) lacking a farinaceous or radish-like odor, and 3) having a pileipellis of loosely interwoven, gelatinized hyphae, (Castellano). Entocybe priscua has been reported from British Columbia (collection at the University of British Columbia as Rhodocybe).
