About Clitopilus prunulus (Scop.) P.Kumm.
Scientific name: Clitopilus prunulus (Scop.) P.Kumm. Description: Young caps of Clitopilus prunulus are initially convex, and flatten out when mature, usually developing a shallow depression at the center. The cap margin is often inrolled. Cap color ranges from white to light gray or yellow. The cap surface has a characteristic texture that feels like chamois skin, and it is usually dry, but becomes sticky when moist. Cap diameter measures between 2 to 10 cm (3โ4 to 4 in). The gills attach to the stipe in a decurrent arrangement, are spaced relatively close together, and are whitish in color, though they often develop a pinkish hue as they age. The stipe measures 2 to 8 cm (3โ4 to 3+1โ8 in) long by 4โ15 mm thick, and is white or sometimes grayish; it may grow off-center, or be enlarged at the base. This mushroom has a mealy odor, somewhat similar to cucumber. Its spore print is pink, and individual spores measure 9โ12 ร 5โ6.5 ฮผm. Scopoli originally described the species as having an odor like freshly ground flour. The variant Clitopilus prunulus var. orcellus has a slimy, white cap. Distribution and habitat: Clitopilus prunulus grows on the ground in hardwood and coniferous woods during the summer and autumn. It has been recorded at Varsey Rhododendron Sanctuary in Sikkim, under cork oak in Morocco, and in Valdaysky National Park in Russia. A specimen identified as Clitopilus cf prunulus collected from Kermandie Track in southern Tasmania is related to other collections of the species, but falls basal to them on phylogenetic trees.
