Gilled mushrooms come in several different shapes, although typically we think of them as cap and stem mushrooms, and have historically called them ‘Agarics’. The gills are thin, fragile, downward-facing plates on which spores are produced within structures called basidia. Some gilled mushrooms do not have much if any stem, such as oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus species) and Crepidotus species. Others, such as Gilled Boletes (Phylloporus species) and Tapinella species are actually more closely related to boletes than to members of the Agaricales. Due to their unique structure consisting of principally spherical cells causing these fruiting bodies to break like chalk, Lactarius, Lactifluus and Russula species are listed in their own category.
To facilitate your search for particular gilled mushrooms, I have divided them into two general groups and distiguished them by whether their spores are pale or light-colored and those that are dark-colored. Light-colored spores can be white, cream, pale to dark yellow, and pink to salmon-pink.
To further facilitate finding photos and descriptions of light-spored gilled mushrooms, I have entered their genus names in accordance with whether or not they are TERRESTRIAL, grow from a WOOD, NEEDLE, LEAF, CONIFER CONE or NUT substrate, or are PARASITIC ON OTHER FUNGI.
Since several common Waxy Cap mushrooms (HYGROPHORACEAE family of the Agaricales order) have recently been separated into several genera, I am putting them into a distinct group within the pale-spored gilled fungi. Doing so should enable the mycophile to find particular species with ease. These fungi generally have thickish, slippery or greasy gills, sometimes the caps and stems are tacky to extremely viscid, and many are quite colorful. There are more pale or light-spored fungi than there are dark-spored.
Amanita atkinsoniana
LIGHT-SPORED GILLED FUNGI THAT GROW FROM THE GROUND (Terrestrial substrate)
AMANITA____abrupta____aestivalis____atkinsoniana____banningiana____bisporigera____brunnescens ____brunnescens var. pallida___canescens____citrina (See A. mappa)____ceciliae(rhacopus)group ____cinereopannosa____cokeri(subcokeri)____crenulata____daucipes____elongata____farinosa____flavoconia ____flavorubens____frostiana____fulva group____ jacksonii ____mappa(citrina)____multisquamosa (panterina) ____muscaria var. guessowei____onusta____pachysperma____pantherina____parcivolvata____peckiana ____phallooides___praecox 32 (no ring)____porphyria_____pseudovolvata____rasitabula (vaginata var. alba) _____rhacopus (cecileae)____rhopalopus____rubescens____russuloides(ring)____sinicoflava____spreta ____sturgeonii ____subcokeri____submaculata _____subsolitaria____subvolvata____vaginata group____velatipes____virginiana ____volvata ____wellsii_____whetstoneae
CALOCYBE____carnea (See RUGOMYCES carneus)
CHLOROPHYLLUM (Lepiota)____molybdites____rhacodes
COLLYBIA____cirrhata____tuberosa____zonata (Crinipellis zonata)
ENTOLOMA____abortivum____asprellum____caesiocinctum____conicum____formosum____grande ____griseum____luridum____luteum____murrayi____quadratum ____rhodopolium____salmoneum ___serrulatum____sinuatum____strictius____subsinuatum____umbonatum____unicolor ____vernum
LACTARIUS/LACTIFLUUS (See next page)
LEPIOTA____aspera (see ECHINODERMA)____clypeolaria____cristata____magnispora
LEPISTA (CLITOCYBE)____irina____nuda____subconnexa
LEUCOAGARICUS (LEPIOTA)_____leucothites (naucinus)____naucinus (SEE leucothites)____rubrotinctus
LEUCOCYBE (LYOPHYLLUM)____connata
LEUCOPAXILLUS____albissimus____giganteus
LYOPHYLLUM____connatum(See LEUCOCYBE) ____decastes______loricatum____multiforme
MACROLEPIOTA (LEPIOTA)____procera
MELANOLEUCA____alboflavida____cognata____melaleuca
PAXILLUS (Boletales) ____involutus
PHYLLOPORUS_____boletinoides___leucomycelinus____rhodoxanthus
PSEUDOCLITOCYBE (CLITOCYBE)____cyathiformis
RUGOMYCES (CALOCYBE)____carneus
TRICHOLOMA____aestuans,____aurantium,____caligatum,____davisiae,____equestre (flavovirens),_____fulvum,
____fumosoluteum,____imbricatum,____magnivelare,____myomyces,____odorum,___palustre,____pessundatum,
____pullum, ____saponaceum,____subluteum,____ suberesplendens, ___subsejunctum,____transmutans,____ustale,____vaccinum,____virgatum
LIGHT-SPORED GILLED FUNGI THAT GROW FROM WOOD, MOSS, CONIFER CONES, NEEDLES, LEAVES or NUTS
ARMILLARIA____gallica____mellea____solidipes (ostoyae)____tabescens(See DESARMILLARIA)
BAEOSPORA____myosura (grows from a conifer cone)
CHEIMONOPHYLLUM____candissimum
CLITOCELLA (Rhodocybe)____mundula (popinalis) (binds leaves)
CLITOCYBULA____abundans___familia___oculus
ECHINODERMA (Lepiota) ____asperum
GYMNOPUS (COLLYBIA)____acervatus_____alkalivirens____androsaceus____biformis____confluens (on conifer litter)____dichrous (on sticks)____dryophila____dysodes____foetidus____lentinoides(See RHODOCOLLYBIA)____luxurians____semihirtipes_____spongiosus_____subnudus (on leaves)____subsulphureus
HOHENBUEHELIA____petaloides____serotina
HYMENOPELLIS (XERULA)____furfuracea____megalospora____rubrobrunnescens
HYPSIZYGUS____marmoreus(tessulatus)____ulmarius
LENTINELLUS____cochleatus____cohaerens____ursinus____vulpinus
LENTINUS (a polypore) ____levis____suavissimus____tigrinus
LEUCOAGARICUS (LEPIOTA)____americanus
MEGACOLLYBIA____rodmanii (platyphylla)
PANELLUS ____serotinus (See HOHENBEUHELIA)____stipticus____violaceofulvus
PANUS (Polyporales)____conchatus____neostrigosus
PAXILLUS (Boletales)____atrotomentosa (See TAPINELLA atrotomentosa) ____involutus____panuiodes
PLEUROTUS____dryinus____ostreatus____populinius____pulmonarius
RESUPINATUS____alboniger____applicatus____striatulus
RHIZOMARASMIUS____pyrrhocephalus
RHODOCYBE (See CLITOCELLA)____mundula (popinalis)
RICKENELLA____fibula (in moss)
RHODOCOLLYBIA (COLLYBIA)____butyracea____lentinoides____maculata____maculata var. scorzonera (all in conifer debris)
TAPINELLA (Paxillus)____atrotomentosa
TETRAPYROGUS (Marasmius)____nigripes
TRICHOLOMOPSIS____decora____rutilans____sulphurioides
VOLVARIELLA (VOLAVARIA)____bombycina____speciosa
XEROMPHALINA____campanella____kaufmanii
LIGHT-SPORED GILLED FUNGI THAT GROW FROM OTHER FUNGI
ASTEROPHORA____lycoperdoides____parasitica
PSEUDOAMILLARIELLA (CLITOCYBE)____ectypoides
WAXY CAPS
CUPHOPHYLLUS (Hygrophorus)____lacmus____praetensis____virgineus
GLIOPHORUS (HYGROCYBE, HYGROPHORUS)____irrigatus____laetus____perplexus____psittacinus
GLIOANYTHOMYCES_____nitidus (Hygrocybe nitida)_____vitellinus
HUMIDICUTIS (HYGROCYBE)_____auratocephala____marginata var. concolor____marginata var. marginata ____marginata var. olivacea
HYGROCYBE____cantharellus____caespitosa____chlorphana(flavescens)____chrysodon____coccinea____conica ____cuspidata____miniata____minutula____nitrata____parvula____persistens____punicea____purpureofolius ____turunda
HYGROPHORUS____agathosmos____angustifolius____camarophyllus____chrysodon____eburneus ____erubescens____flavodiscus____fuligineus ____lacmus (See CUPHOPHYLUS) ____russula____speciosus____sordidus____subovinus (see NEOHYGROCYBE)____tennesseensis