Summary:
There appear to be two genetically distinguishable, similar species in the Pacific Northwest with a cedar-like odor as the main distinctive feature, ''Cuphophyllus'' lawrencei and Cuphophyllus russocoriaceus. Other features include a dry cap that is white or tinged pale tan to yellowish; decurrent, distant, broad, white gills; a long tapered stem that is dry and white; and medicinal taste. ''Cuphophyllus'' lawrencei is said to be bigger and stockier than Cuphophyllus russocoriaceus but it is not clear yet how best to separate them. |Hesler(1) say "Kuehner and Romagnesi (1953) include H. russocoriaceus in Camarophyllus but ascribe spores 7-11 x 4-5.5 microns to it, which is sufficient to separate it from H. lawrencei. The two are obviously closely related however." They give H. lawrencei as having spores 6.5-8 x 5-6 microns; however, spores of the type were remeasured by Largent at 7-10 x 4.5-6 microns. (Arora gives the measurement 6.5-9 x 4-6 microns for C. russocoriaceus of the west coast and Europe. Moser(1) gives 7-9 x 4-5(6) microns for C. russocoriaceus in Europe, and Hansen, L.(2) give 7-9 x 4-5.5 microns for C. russocoriaceus in Europe). |The descriptions here were given for russocoriaceus but some of the collections they were describing could have been lawrencei.

Gills:
"well-spaced, usually decurrent, thick, slightly waxy"; white or whitish, (Arora), "typically subdecurrent to decurrent, subdistant to distant, moderately broad" (0.4-0.6cm); white, "margin smooth then eroded", (Largent), deeply decurrent, distant, (Hansen)

Stem:
3-10cm x 0.2-0.5(0.8)cm, equal or narrowing downward, often long in relation to cap, often curved or sinuous; colored about as cap; dry, smooth, (Arora), 4.5-9.0cm x 0.2-1.0cm at top, 0.3-1.0cm at base, equal to typically narrowing toward base; stuffed, "often wavy to flexuous"; white and often with a pinkish base that frequently becomes brownish when old; "dry, dull"; "basal tomentum moderate to scarce, rarely absent, more typically in the form of rhizoids or strigose-like hairs", (Largent), 2-4cm x 0.15-0.2cm, wavy, (Hansen), 2.5cm long, 0.1-0.3cm wide, thin and twisted, (Moser)

Veil:
absent (Arora)

Odor:
fragrant when fresh (like arborvitae or cedar), (Arora), "often strong and penetrating, usually cedar-like, at times so faint as to be almost indistinct", in these specimens medicinal taste can be used to identify species, (Largent), characteristic of Russian leather or cedar wood but often faint, (Hansen), very strong smell of Russian leather or cedar wood, (Moser)

Taste:
slightly medicinal (Arora), "mild at first but typically developing a strong unpleasant or medicinal flavor with time", (Largent)

Microscopic spores:
spores 6.5-9 x 4-6 microns, elliptic, smooth; gill tissue interwoven (Arora), spores 7-10 x 4.5-6 microns, elliptic, inamyloid; basidia 4-spored, 43.7-54.1 x 6.1-8.6 microns; pleurocystidia and cheilocystidia absent; gill trama intricately interwoven; clamp connections present on all parts, (Largent), spores 7-9 x 4-5.5 microns, (Hansen), spores 7-9 x 4-5(6) microns, (Moser)

Spore deposit:
white (Arora)

Notes:
Cuphophyllus russocoriaceus or Cuphophyllus lawrencei is found at least in OR (as the type of Hygrophorus lawrencei), and CA (Desjardin). There are collections at the University of British Columbia from BC and it occurs also in WA (D. Miller, pers. comm.). The holotype is from the United Kingdom. There is material from WA with DNA sequencing that is close to European collections.

EDIBILITY

not recommended (Arora)

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Hygrocybe russocoriacea (Berk. & Jos.K. Mill.) P.D. Orton