Mycena A little mushroom found under a Hemlock tree
Probalby Mycena alcalina

Posted by Elmer 11/09/12 - - - - - Scroll Down to See More Pictures

Elmer: A little mushroom with Adnate Gills, no ring, and striated cap
I think it is an Inocybe - Am I correct

Dick B: When you have a large number of mushrooms look for one that is
overlapping another mushroom.
You may be able to see the color of the spores on the cap underneath.
Also if one is leaning you may be able to find spores on the stipe.
Did you see any sign of brown spores? If not you need to make a spore print.

Elmer: I now have done a spore print and the spores are white.
They are relatively small 5 to 6 microns by 6 to 8 microns.
Thus I have small white mushroom with a striated cap, adnate gills,
white spores that are 5 to 6 microns by 6 to 8 microns that was growing on
the ground under Hemlock.

I now agree that it is a Mycena as Fred suggested.
As to the species, it may be alcalina but it does not quite match.

Dick B: Excellent. You now have a better idea what a mycena looks like.
I should probably say that with the exception of a few species that are fairly easy
to tell because of some distinctive characteristics your
best bet for a species ID is to say "hey Sava, can you help me with this mycena"

Sava: Brown and grey Mycenas are difficult to identify.
M. galericulata is a larger mushroom and typically has a somewhat wrinkled cap,
so this is probably not it.

Elmer, if they are still growing, could you check the gill edges under the hand lens:
are they of a different color than the gill face (the term is "marginate gills")?
This character is very useful to ID a Mycena.
In one of your pictures it looks like the edges are brown,
which I've seen recently in a group of Mycenas growing in grass,
which I didn't manage to identify yet.

All Mycenas have cheilocystidia; perhaps you can try to look for them.
Cut off a tiny piece of gill edge and scope it.
If you see some large cells there and get a photo of them,
that would be most useful.

If you can save several of these mushrooms,
I would very much like to look at them myself.
They are easy to dry: just put them on a piece of tissue near a heat vent
and they'll be done in a day. Thanks!