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Species Information
Summary: Features include a convex to flat-convex almost shell-shaped cap that is cinnamon to grayish fulvous to pallid, adnate, narrowly ventricose gills, an eccentric or lateral, curved, cap-colored stem, and growth on dead grass and other herbaceous plants, often in marshland.
Deconica phillipsii has been found at least in BC (Paul Kroeger, pers. comm.), Sweden (Petersen), and the United Kingdom (Watling).
Gills: shortly adnate, narrowly ventricose, (Watling), light brownish (Moser), pale ocher to flesh reddish, (Breitenbach, whose spore measurements are more like M. caricicola)
Stem: 0.1-0.3cm long and 0.05cm wide, eccentric [off-center] or lateral, curved, solid; colored similarly to cap, (Watling)
Odor: indistinct (Buczacki)
Taste: indistinct (Buczacki)
Microscopic spores: spores 5-6(7) x 2.7-3.5 microns, [presumably smooth], pale brown, indistinct germ pore; basidia 4-spored; cheilocystidia 16-40 x 3-5 microns, fusoid with elongated neck, (Watling), spores 5.7-8.4 x 3.3-4.3 microns, (forma macrosporus is mentioned with spores (6)7-9.5 x 3-3.5(4) microns), oval to tear-shaped, somewhat flattened laterally, smooth, light brown; clamp connections mentioned for basidia, (Breitenbach, but note these are more like the spore measurements Redhead assigns to Deconica caricicola (as Melanotus caricicola)), spores 6-9.5 x 3-3.5(4) microns, (Moser)
Spore deposit: fawn, not violaceous, (Watling)
Habitat / Range
although some European collections of Deconica caricicola have been called Melanotus phillipsii (now Deconica phillipsii), the true Deconica phillipsii occurs on grasses and Carex in Europe, (Redhead), found on dead grass (Graminae) leaves and stems, and on other herbaceous plants, often in marshland, rarely if ever on Carex, (Watling for United Kingdom), on dead monocotyledon leaves, especially Carex, (according to Moser for Europe, who does not mention M. caricicola), usually gregarious or grouped on old culms and stems of Juncus, Carex, or grasses of the previous year, more rarely on herbaceous plants such as Urtica, Cirsium, Scrophularia, Origanum, from the previous year, summer to fall, (Breitenbach for Europe, but spore measurements more like Deconica caricicola)
Similar Species
Deconica caricicola has gelatinous pellicle on cap, and has darker wider spores (5.5-6.9 x 3-4.5 microns), (Redhead(33)). Crepidotus spp. do not have a well-formed stem.
