Lentil Shanklet

Lentil Shanklet Collybia tuberosa (Bull.) P. Kumm. (illustrated 90% life size) Cap 0.3–1.3cm across, convex then flattening, often becoming wavy and depressed at centre; pure white, centre tinged yellowish-green. Stem 15–25×1mm; white or pallid, arising from a reddish-brown sclerotium. Flesh whitish; very thin; taste and smell not distinctive. Gills adnate, crowded; white. Spores 3–5×2–3¼, ellipsoid to ovoid. Spore print white. Habitat in large groups on decaying fungi, especially Russula nigricans and Lactarius deliciosus; autumn. Occasional. Not edible. Note there are two other very similar species, C. cookei with yellow sclerotia and C. cirrhata without sclerotia, both of which are probably more common.