How to identify Shiny-capped Mushroom

To correctly identify Shiny-capped Mushroom (Mycena epipterygia), 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.

   Typically 0.5-2.5 cm (0.2-1.0 in) in diameter, initially conical or bell-shaped, expanding to convex or broadly umbonate with age. The surface is distinctly viscid (slimy or greasy) when moist, often appearing shiny when dry. Color is highly variable, ranging from yellowish-brown, olive-brown, grayish-brown, to pale yellow or even whitish, often darker at the center. The margin is striate (grooved) and translucent when moist.

2. 2

   Gills

   Attachment to stem, color, and spacing.

   Adnate to adnexed, sometimes with a decurrent tooth, moderately crowded, narrow. Color is whitish to pale grayish, sometimes with a yellowish tint. There are often lamellulae (short gills) present.

3. 3

   Stem

   Length, shape, surface, and any ring.

   2-8 cm (0.8-3.1 in) long and 1-3 mm (0.04-0.12 in) thick, slender, cylindrical, and hollow. The surface is notably viscid, especially when young and moist, often covered in a gelatinous sheath. Color is typically yellowish, sometimes whitish, grayish, or brownish, often paler towards the apex. The base may be slightly swollen and covered with fine, whitish hairs (tomentum).

4. 4

   Flesh

   Color, texture, and bruising reaction.

   Thin, fragile, and watery, concolorous with the cap or paler.

5. 5

   Fruiting body

   Overall growth pattern.

   Small, delicate, and often gregarious, sometimes appearing in clusters.

6. 6

   Habitat

   Where it grows and on what substrate.

   Saprobic, growing on decaying wood (coniferous and deciduous), moss, leaf litter, and other plant debris. Often found in damp, shaded areas in forests, woodlands, and sometimes gardens.

Key Facts

Cap surfaces

Viscid, shiny when dry, striate margin.

Growth Form

Gregarious, sometimes clustered.

Spore Print

White.

Body color

Variable, often yellowish, olive-brown, or grayish-brown.

Odor

Mild, sometimes slightly farinaceous.

Flesh bruises

Does not bruise.

Height

2-8 cm (0.8-3.1 in)

Cap Diameter

0.5-2.5 cm (0.2-1.0 in)

Fruit body characteristics

• Gill attachment: Adnate to adnexed, sometimes with a decurrent tooth.
• Stem shape: Cylindrical, slender.
• Stem surface: Viscid, often covered in a gelatinous sheath.
• Ring: Absent.
• Stem cross-section: Hollow.

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