How to identify Pinkgill

To correctly identify Pinkgill (Entoloma lividoalbum), check each of these features in order. Misidentification is the most common cause of mushroom poisoning, so cross-reference multiple sources.

Step-by-step identification

1. 1

   Cap

   Shape, color, surface texture, and diameter.

   The cap of Entoloma lividoalbum typically ranges from 3 to 10 cm in diameter, initially convex, expanding to plano-convex or almost flat, often with a broad, shallow umbo. The margin is usually incurved when young, becoming wavy or lobed with age. The color varies from whitish to pale grayish-brown, sometimes with a yellowish or ochraceous tint, especially towards the center. The surface is smooth, dry, and often somewhat silky or fibrillose, becoming slightly greasy in wet weather. It does not bruise significantly.

2. 2

   Gills

   Attachment to stem, color, and spacing.

   The gills are adnexed to sinuate, sometimes almost free, and moderately crowded. They are initially whitish or pale cream, becoming distinctly pink to salmon-pink with age as the spores mature. This color change is a key characteristic of the genus Entoloma.

3. 3

   Stem

   Length, shape, surface, and any ring.

   The stem is 4 to 10 cm long and 0.5 to 1.5 cm thick, cylindrical or slightly tapering towards the base, often with a somewhat swollen base. It is solid when young, becoming hollow with age. The color is whitish to pale grayish, often longitudinally fibrillose, and sometimes with a slightly pruinose (powdery) apex. There is no ring or volva.

4. 4

   Flesh

   Color, texture, and bruising reaction.

   The flesh is white, firm in the cap, and fibrous in the stem. It has a mild, sometimes slightly mealy or rancid odor and taste, which is not distinctive enough for identification.

5. 5

   Fruiting body

   Overall growth pattern.

   The fruiting body is a typical agaric (gilled mushroom) with a cap, gills, and a central stem.

6. 6

   Habitat

   Where it grows and on what substrate.

   Entoloma lividoalbum is a saprobic species, growing terrestrially on soil, often among grass or leaf litter, in deciduous or mixed woodlands, parks, and sometimes in open grassy areas. It prefers calcareous soils.

Key Facts

Cap surfaces

Smooth, dry, silky or fibrillose, sometimes slightly greasy when wet.

Growth Form

Solitary or scattered.

Spore Print

Pink to salmon-pink.

Body color

Cap: Whitish to pale grayish-brown; Gills: White becoming pink; Stem: Whitish to pale grayish.

Odor

Mild, sometimes slightly mealy or rancid.

Flesh bruises

Does not bruise significantly.

Height

4-10 cm

Cap Diameter

3-10 cm

Fruit body characteristics

• Gill attachment: Adnexed to sinuate, sometimes almost free.
• Stem shape: Cylindrical or slightly tapering towards the base, often with a somewhat swollen base.
• Stem surface: Longitudinally fibrillose, sometimes pruinose at the apex.
• Ring: Absent.
• Stem cross-section: Solid when young, becoming hollow with age.

Explore Pinkgill