About Conocybe aurea (Jul.Schäff.) Hongo
The cap of Conocybe aurea ranges from 0.8 to 2.2 cm wide or larger, starting as globose to bell-shaped before expanding to convex. It is golden yellow to orangish yellow, with deeper color at the center, and its surface is smooth, not sticky. When dry, the cap fades to chrome yellow, with paler central flesh; maximum cap diameter can reach 5 cm. The gills are adnate, subdistant, ventricose, and 1.5-3mm wide. They start whitish, develop a cinnamon color, and eventually turn brown with age; overall they are beige in their earlier stages. The stipe (stem) is beige, measuring 2.5-6.5 cm long and 2-3mm thick, equal along its length or tapering slightly upward, with a slightly bulbous 4-6mm thick base. The stem interior is hollow; its exterior is pruinose, striated, pale yellowish, and often discolors to brownish yellow (fulvous). The flesh is thin, soft, and matches the color of the cap surface. This species has a slight smell and mild taste. Spores measure 10.5-13.5 by 6-7 μm, are elliptical and smooth, with a hyaline apical germ pore. Spores appear yellow under the microscope. Basidia measure 29-37 by 11-12 μm, and are four-spored. Cheilocystidia measure 22-30 by 8-11 μm, are pin-headed, hyaline, and thin-walled. Caulocystidia measure 22-30 by 7.5-10 μm, and are similar in form to cheilocystidia. Conocybe aurea is a saprobic fungus that grows in nitrate-rich soils, fields, woodchip mulch, old compost, and greenhouses. It is a rare but widespread species found in Europe, Asia, North America, South America, and New Zealand. Its toxicity is unknown, though related species are known to be toxic.
