About Tectella patellaris (Fr.) Murrill
The scientific name of this species is Tectella patellaris (Fr.) Murrill. It is commonly known as the "Veiled Panus". Its specific epithet patellaris means "dish shaped".
The fruit body is generally small, brown, and clamshell-shaped. The cap measures approximately 0.5–2.0 cm across, and may be somewhat viscid when wet. Tectella patellaris often lacks a true stem, but may have a very short one: the point of attachment for the stalk forms as a lateral extension of the cap, ranging from 0.1 to 0.3 cm long. The gills radiate out from this central point of attachment. Young specimens have snuff brown gills that are covered by a buff white, ephemeral partial veil, which is typically absent in older specimens. The spore deposit produced by this mushroom is white, with spores measuring 3–4 × 1–1.5 μm; they are smooth, cylindrical, and weakly amyloid, and remain white in mass. Cheilocystidia are present on the edges of the gills.
This mushroom is saprobic, growing on fallen hardwood logs. It is widely distributed across North America and Europe. Because of its small, inconspicuous appearance, it may be more common than existing collection records indicate. This species is classified as inedible.
