Mycena polygramma - Grooved Bonnet

Taxonomy

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Agaricales

Cap colour is rarely of much help when you are struggling to identify a Mycena, as they vary so much with age, location, humidity and growing substrate. If you look closely at the stem of a Grooved Bonnet you will see that it has longitudinal striations, whereas other common bonnet mushrooms have smooth stems.

Unlike several many of its more gregarious lookalikes, quite often fruits as singletons or in small groups, although substantial tufts do also occur occasionally.

Identification Guide

Cap	2 to 3.5cm across; conical, becoming bell shaped and eventually umbonate; smooth with striations almost to centre; margin scalloped or sharply toothed; greyish brown, becoming darker brown towards centre.
Gills	Adnate; white turning pinkish-grey.
Stem	5 to 10cm long and 0.2 to 0.4cm in dia.; white at apex, progressively darker red-brown towards the downy base; longitudinally grooved,often very obviously but sometimes only faintly; no ring.
Spore print	White.
Odour/taste	Not distinctive.
Habitat	Nearly always on dead hardwood stumps or on rotting trunks and large branches; only very occasionally on rotting conifers.
Season	June to November.
Occurrence	Common.
Similar species	There are many other small, bell-shaped fungi in the Mycena genus including Mycena inclinata and Mycena arcangeliana; however, the grooved stem of Mycena polygramma is a distinguishing feature.