Entoloma griseocyaneum - Felted Pinkgill

Taxonomy

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Agaricales

While the majority of grassland pinkgills have caps that flatten, Entoloma griseocyaneum is an exception. Its finely scaly cap is initially bell-shaped but, while expanding to become broadly convex, it does not flatten or become noticeably umbonate as many other grey-brown pinkgills do.

Once you have found a few of these uncommon little mushrooms you may feel confident enough to base your identification on macroscopic characters alone.

Identification guide

Cap	2 to 3cm across; initially conical, expanding to become broadly convex; fibrous and scaly, the scales being smaller near to the margin.
Gills	Adnate; fairly distant; whitish at first becoming pink (right) at maturity.
Spores	Pink.
Stem	4 to 8cm long and 3 to 6mm dia.; whitish with longitudinal blue-grey fibrils, paler towards base; fibrous; cylindrical; no ring.
Odour/taste	Not distinctive.
Habitat	This pinkgill is fairly common in upland sheep-grazed pastures.
Season	Fruiting from summer to late autumn.
Occurrence	Fairly common.
Similar species	The Wood Pinkgill, Entoloma rhodopolium, is similar in cap colour, although the surface is smooth and silky; it is a woodland species whereas the Felted Pinkgill occurs in grassland.