Spring Cavalier

Spring Cavalier Melanoleuca cognata (Fr.) Konrad & Maubl. syn. Tricholoma cognatum (Fr.) Gillet (illustrated 30% life size) Cap 4–10cm across, expanded convex and umbonate; ochre-brown to grey-brown; shiny. Stem 60–120×10–15mm, swollen at the base; cream flushed ochre to grey-brown. Flesh whitish to cream; taste sweetish, smell floury. Gills ochraceous cream. Spores 9–10×5.5–6¼, elliptical, minutely warted; amyloid. Spore print ochraceous cream. Cheilocystidia lanceolate, sometimes encrusted with crystals at apex, thin-walled, hyaline. Habitat in coniferous woods; spring and autumn. Occasional. Edible.