Summary:
Stature is collybioid. The convex cap often has an umbo. The cap surface is sublubricous to subviscid or dry, and typically hygrophanous. The cap margin when moist is translucent-striate or opaque. Gills are adnexed to notched. The striate stem is equal to club-shaped, and typically hygrophanous. There are four varieties that are indistinguishable microscopically. Var. trachyospora (= Rhodocybe carlottae) has a gray-brown cap, slightly paler flesh, pallid gills, and a white to pale gray to gray-brown stem. Var. griseoviolacea has a gray-brown cap, sordid flesh-buff flesh, whitish to pale gray to grayish brown gills, and a gray stem with a bluish or violet tinge. Var. purpureoviolacea has a dark brownish gray cap with reddish to purplish tinges, deep blue to gray blue flesh, bluish gray gills, and dark blue to bluish gray stem. Var. vinacea (= R. carlottae var. vinacea) has a brownish vinaceous cap, pale vinaceous flesh, dark blue-gray to pale vinaceous gills, and a pale vinaceous gray stem. Baroni(3) present evidence that Rhodocybe trachyospora should be renamed Entocybe trachyospora with the same four varieties.

Gills:
"finely adnexed with a decurrent tooth to sinuate, subdistant, narrow to moderately broad, at times almost broad", 0.2-0.7cm broad, 0.5-1.5cm long; pallid to off-white at first, edges colored as faces; edge smooth becoming eroded, (Largent for type variety), adnexed, moderately spaced, 3 tiers of subgills, moderately broad; pale grayish sepia; with uneven edges, (Redhead for type variety as R. carlottae), pallid to grayish brown at first for var. griseoviolacea, bluish gray at first for var. purpureoviolacea, livid to pale vinaceous at first for var. vinacea, (Baroni(2))

Stem:
3-9cm x 0.2-0.7cm, equal or more or less club-shaped, 0.4-1cm wide at base, fleshy-fibrous; off-white at first, becoming orange-gray to brownish orange and rarely dark yellowish brown when old and on handling; lubricous, silky-appressed fibrillose to bald, longitudinally striate, the surface hyphae agglutinated when old making the surface irregular rimulose [finely cracked], basal tomentum scant to absent, (Largent for type variety), 3.2-5cm x 0.3-0.35cm in upper part, widening downward to 0.5-0.6cm, swollen fusoid base, stem hollow; pale mouse gray; striate, polished, (Redhead for type variety as R. carlottae), off-white to pale grayish to pale grayish brown for var. trachyospora, (Baroni(2) for type variety), hygrophanous, medium grayish violet to dark bluish gray, fading to silvery violaceous white to pale bluish gray, (Largent for var. griseoviolacea), dark blue to bluish gray, (Baroni(2) for var. purpureoviolacea), hygrophanous, at first dark bluish gray fading from the base upward to a violaceous or bluish white to a light bluish gray or a grayish violet, (Largent for var. purpureoviolacea), pale vinaceous gray (Baroni(2) for var. vinacea)

Odor:
not distinctive or somewhat fruity fragrant (Baroni(2)), mostly indistinct, at times radish-like, (Largent for var. trachyospora), not distinct (Largent for var. griseoviolacea), not distinct, at times more or less fragrant and pleasant, (Largent for var. purpureoviolacea), not distinctive or faintly fragrant (Redhead for var. vinacea)

Taste:
mostly indistinct, at times radish-like, (Largent for var. trachyospora), not distinct (Largent for var. griseoviolacea), not distinct, (Largent for var. purpureoviolacea), not distinctive (Redhead for var. vinacea)

Microscopic spores:
spores 6.0-8.0 x 5.5-7 microns, 6-8 angled, ovate and warty angular, angular in end view; basidia 4-spored, 30-39 x 7.5-9 microns, clavate; cheilocystidia and pleurocystidia absent; clamp connections present on hyphae of the cap and stem cuticle, at the base of basidia, and questionable at base of stem, (Largent for type variety), spores 6.5-8 x 6-7 microns, unevenly nearly round, wall undulate-pustulate, nearly angular in profile and angular in polar view; pleurocystidia and cheilocystidia lacking, (Redhead for type variety as R. carlottae), spores 7-10 x 6-7(8) microns, including apiculus, 6-8(9) microns long excluding apiculus, nearly round to oval or short-broad-elliptic, often obscurely to distinctly angular in side view, rounded angular (6-9 facets) in polar view, "weakly to moderately undulate-pustulate in all views, walls evenly cyanophilic but weakly so on many older (larger) spores", (Baroni(2))

Spore deposit:
[presumably pinkish]

Notes:
R. trachyospora was examined from BC (var. trachyospora, var. vinacea) (Redhead(11)). Collections were examined from WA (var. trachyospora, var. griseoviolacea, var. purpureoviolacea) (Largent(2)). Collections were examined from CA (var. trachyospora, var. griseoviolacea, var. purpureoviolacea) (Baroni(2)). The New York Botanical Garden has a collection of E. trachyospora from OR.

EDIBILITY

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Rhodocybe trachyospora (Largent) T.J. Baroni & Largent