''Britzelmayria multipedata'' is a species of

mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. ''Toadstool'' generally denotes one poisonous to humans. The standard for the name "mushroom" is t ...

producing

fungus A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from th ...

in the family

Psathyrellaceae The Psathyrellaceae are a family of dark-spored agarics that generally have rather soft, fragile fruiting bodies, and are characterized by black, dark brown, rarely reddish, or even pastel-colored spore prints. About 50% of species produce fruit ...

. It is commonly known as the clustered brittlestem.

Taxonomy

It was first described in 1905 by the American mycologist

Charles Horton Peck Charles Horton Peck (March 30, 1833 – July 11, 1917) was an American mycologist of the 19th and early 20th centuries. He was the New York State Botanist from 1867 to 1915, a period in which he described over 2,700 species of North American fun ...

who classified it as ''Psathyra multipedata.'' It was reclassified as ''Psathyrella multipedata'' in 1941 by the American mycologist

Alexander H. Smith Alexander Hanchett Smith (December 12, 1904 – December 12, 1986) was an American mycologist known for his extensive contributions to the taxonomy and phylogeny of the higher fungi, especially the agarics. Early life Smith, born in Crandon, Wis ...

and remained known as such until recently. In 2020 the German mycologists Dieter Wächter & Andreas Melzer reclassified many species in the

family based on

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

analysis and placed this species in the newly created genus ''

Britzelmayria ''Britzelmayria'' is a genus of fungi in the family Psathyrellaceae. Taxonomy The ''Britzelmayria'' genus was created in 2020 by the German mycologists Dieter Wächter & Andreas Melzer when the ''Psathyrellaceae'' family was subdivided base ...

''. Many mushroom field guides and websites still refer to this species as ''Psathyrella multipedata.''

Description

''Britzelmayria multipedata'' is a small brittlestem mushroom with white flesh and a brown cap which is known for growing in dense clusters. Cap: 1-3cm. Starts conical before flattening into a convex cap which may become

campanulate This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...

or bell shaped with age. The smooth, brown cap becomes paler when dry. Gills: Adnate or adnexed. Crowded. Light grey or brown with white fringes maturing to dark brown. Stem: 7-12cm in height with a thickness of 3-6mm tapering slightly towards the cap. It often grows in a wavy fashion with the base fused together with other members of the cluster. Spore print: Dark purplish brown. Spores: Ellipsoid and smooth with a germ pore. 6.5-10 x 3.5-4 µm. Taste: Indistinct and mild. Smell: Faint and mushroomy. Britzelmayria multipedata gills

Habitat and distribution

''B. multipedata'' is found on soil amongst grass and in open grassy spaces amongst woodland. It is

saprotrophic Saprotrophic nutrition or lysotrophic nutrition is a process of chemoheterotrophic extracellular digestion involved in the processing of decayed (dead or waste) organic matter. It occurs in saprotrophs, and is most often associated with fungi (f ...

and grows on buried fallen trees through the late Summer to Autumn. This species is widespread and found occasionally. Observations of this species appear most common in the UK, West Europe and the East Coast of the United States.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q105125651 Britzelmayria Psathyrellaceae