Tephrocybe palustris
Encyclopedia
Tephrocybe palustris is a species of fungus
in the family Lyophyllaceae
which parasitizes
sphagnum
moss. It was first described by Charles Horton Peck
in 1872. It is commonly called the Sphagnum Greyling due to it being found in peat bogs and to its cap turning grey as it ages and dries.
is 1 to 3 cm (0.393700787401575 to 1.2 in) in diameter, starting as conical or bell shape when young, expanding flat with a distinct umbo when older. It is smooth, striate, and hygrophanous; usually an olive-brown when moist, drying to a pale grey color. The white to grey gills are adnate or with a slight tooth. Subgills are often present creating a close to subdistant spacing. The stem
is 2 to 10 cm (0.78740157480315 to 3.9 in) long and 1 millimetre in diameter, equal and hollow. The coloring is usually lighter than the cap, being grey-brown or grey. The white to cream colored spore
s are 5.5 to 8.5 µm x 4 to 4.5 µm, elliptical, and smooth.
. Found single to gregarious, often growing in bogs or ditches.
Fungus
A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...
in the family Lyophyllaceae
Lyophyllaceae
The Lyophyllaceae are a family of fungi in the Agaricales order. The family contains 8 genera and 157 species....
which parasitizes
Parasitism
Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between organisms of different species where one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. Traditionally parasite referred to organisms with lifestages that needed more than one host . These are now called macroparasites...
sphagnum
Sphagnum
Sphagnum is a genus of between 151 and 350 species of mosses commonly called peat moss, due to its prevalence in peat bogs and mires. A distinction is made between sphagnum moss, the live moss growing on top of a peat bog on one hand, and sphagnum peat moss or sphagnum peat on the other, the...
moss. It was first described by Charles Horton Peck
Charles Horton Peck
Charles Horton Peck, born March 30, 1833 in Sand Lake, New York, died 1917 in Albany, New York, was an American mycologist of the 19th and early 20th centuries...
in 1872. It is commonly called the Sphagnum Greyling due to it being found in peat bogs and to its cap turning grey as it ages and dries.
Description
Tephrocybe palustris can be white pruinose when young and does not stain or bruise when crushed. It's flesh is thin, soft, and watery. The capPileus (mycology)
The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...
is 1 to 3 cm (0.393700787401575 to 1.2 in) in diameter, starting as conical or bell shape when young, expanding flat with a distinct umbo when older. It is smooth, striate, and hygrophanous; usually an olive-brown when moist, drying to a pale grey color. The white to grey gills are adnate or with a slight tooth. Subgills are often present creating a close to subdistant spacing. The stem
Stipe (mycology)
thumb|150px|right|Diagram of a [[basidiomycete]] stipe with an [[annulus |annulus]] and [[volva |volva]]In mycology a stipe refers to the stem or stalk-like feature supporting the cap of a mushroom. Like all tissues of the mushroom other than the hymenium, the stipe is composed of sterile hyphal...
is 2 to 10 cm (0.78740157480315 to 3.9 in) long and 1 millimetre in diameter, equal and hollow. The coloring is usually lighter than the cap, being grey-brown or grey. The white to cream colored spore
Basidiospore
A basidiospore is a reproductive spore produced by Basidiomycete fungi. Basidiospores typically each contain one haploid nucleus that is the product of meiosis, and they are produced by specialized fungal cells called basidia. In grills under a cap of one common species in the phylum of...
s are 5.5 to 8.5 µm x 4 to 4.5 µm, elliptical, and smooth.
Distribution and habitat
Grows in spring to early summer in cool Northern climates that support sphagnumSphagnum
Sphagnum is a genus of between 151 and 350 species of mosses commonly called peat moss, due to its prevalence in peat bogs and mires. A distinction is made between sphagnum moss, the live moss growing on top of a peat bog on one hand, and sphagnum peat moss or sphagnum peat on the other, the...
. Found single to gregarious, often growing in bogs or ditches.