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mushroom
mushroom (Gymnopus luxurians)
Photo © Hank Guarisco
Features and Behaviors
FEATURES
The cap of this species is red-brown when young and fades with age to pink-tan. The cap may reach from one and two-tenths to four and three-tenths inches wide. It is convex with an incurved edge when young and becomes more convex, flat or bell-shaped with age. Its gills attach to the stem. The gills start out white but fade to pink-tan with age. The spore print is white. The appearance of young and aged mushrooms of this species is very different. The stem is one and one-half to two and three-fourths inches tall. The base of the stem is slightly enlarged, but the remainder of the stem is nearly equal in size. The stem is often twisted and tough. It is mainly white at the top, grading in color to darker toward the bottom.
BEHAVIORS
This mushroom receives nutrients from dead or decomposing wood. The fruiting bodies appear in clusters in wood chips, woods and lawns. Fruiting bodies on lawns are probably arising from dead, buried tree roots. Fruiting bodies are present when conditions are favorable in summer and fall.
Illinois Range
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Fungi
Phylum: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Marasmiaceae
Illinois Status: common, native
