GILLED MUSHROOMS of the Pacific Northwest

Copyright © Pacific Northwest Key Council

The Pacific Northwest Council was founded in 1974. We have been producing keys to the gilled mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest since 1978. The following shows how they are organized.

The Key to Keys has two purposes.

1. A mushroom can be keyed out to lead to the appropriate genus key or group key. This includes both gilled and non-gilled species.
2. There are descriptions for miscellaneous species in small genera that are not included in any of the other keys. These include Bolbitius, Callistosporium, Cantharocybe, Catathelasma, Clitocybula, Deconica (spp. formerly in Melanotus), Flammulina, Heliocybe, Leucopaxillus, Leucopholiota, Macrocystidia, Muscinupta, Mythicomyces, Naucoria, Phaeolepiota, Phaeomarasmius, Pseudoarmillariella, Pseudobaeospora, Pseudoclitocybe, Schizophyllum, Stagnicola, Tapinella, Tetrapyrgos, and Tubaria.

Many of the keys to gilled mushrooms are for a single genus. The keys to groups of genera are as follows:

1. Entolomataceae includes Alboleptonia, Claudopus, Clitopilus, Entoloma, Inocephalus, Leptonia, Nolanea, Paraeccilia, Pouzarella, Rhodocybe, and Trichopilus.
2. Gomphidiaceae includes Chroogomphus and Gomphidius.
3. Strophariaceae (dark-spored) includes Deconica, Hypholoma, Psilocybe, Stropharia, and Mythicomyces.
4. Collybioid Species includes Collybia, Dendrocollybia, Gymnopus, and Rhodocollybia.
5. Hygrophoroid Species includes Cuphophyllus, Gliophorus, Gloioxanthomyces, Humidicutis, Hygrocybe, and Hygrophorus.
6. Lepiota and Allies includes Chlorophyllum, Cystolepiota, Lepiota, Leucoagaricus, Leucocoprinus, and Melanophyllum.
7. Marasmioid Species includes Baeospora, Crinipellis, some Gymnopus, Marasmiellus, Marasmius, Micromphale, Mycetinis, and Strobilurus.
8. Mycenoid Species includes Chromosera, Fayodia, Gamundia, Hemimycena, Hydropus, Mycena, Mycenella, Myxomphalia, Resinomycena, and Rickenella.
9. Pleurotoid Species includes Cheimonophyllum, Hohenbuehelia, Hypsizygus, Ossicaulis, Panellus, Panus, Phyllotopsis, Pleurocybella, Pleurotus, and Resupinatus.

Some genera are not fully covered yet and comments are as follows:

Lorelei Norvell is working on

Cortinarius is a difficult genus with several hundred species in the Pacific Northwest. The key by Daniel Stuntz has been withdrawn because it is out of date. An article describing a few common species is used instead. A key for Simocybe is not yet possible but an article presenting some information is used instead.

Clitocybe, Conocybe, Crepidotus, Galerina, Hebeloma, Inocybe, Lyophyllum, Melanoleuca, Pluteus,and Psathyrella are difficult genera in which the majority of species need to be identified with the microscope. Keys or descriptions for a limited number of species are presented.

An alphabetical index of the gilled genera follows.

Agaricus – see Key to Agaricus I and Key to Agaricus II

Agrocybe – see Key to Agrocybe

Alboleptonia – see Key to Entolomataceae

Amanita – see Key to Amanita

Ampulloclitocybe – will be in Key to selected Clitocyboid species

Aphroditeola – see Notes on Omphalinoid Species (sensu lato)

Arcangeliella – see Key to Truffles & False Truffles, mostly now Lactarius

Armillaria – see Key to Armillaria

Arrhenia – see Key to Veined Fungi (sensu stricto), Notes on Omphalinoid Species (sensu lato)

Asterophora – see Lyophyllum and Allies

Baeospora – see Key to Marasmioid Species

Bolbitius – see Key to Keys

Brauniellula – see Key to Truffles & False Truffles, now Chroogomphus, Gomphogaster

Callistosporium – see Key to Keys

Calocybe – see Lyophyllum and Allies

Camarophyllus – see Key to Hygrophoroid Species

Cantharellula – see Notes on Omphalinoid Species

Cantharocybe – see Key to Keys

Catathelasma – see Key to Keys

Cheimonophyllum – see Key to Pleurotoid Species

Chlorophyllum – see Key to Lepiota and Allies

Chromosera – see Key to Mycenoid Species, see Notes on Omphalinoid Species

Chroogomphus – see Key to Gomphidiaceae

Chrysomphalina – see Notes on Omphalinoid Species

Claudopus – see Key to Entolomataceae

Clitocybe – see Key to - see Key to selected Clitocybe Species

Clitocybula – see Key to Keys

Clitopilus – see Key to Entolomataceae

Collybia – see Key to Collybioid Species

Conocybe – see Notes on Conocybe

Contumyces – see Notes on Omphalinoid Species

Coprinellus – see Key to Coprinoid Species

Coprinopsis – see Key to Coprinoid Species

Coprinus – see Key to Coprinoid Species

Cortinarius – previous key retired, see Notes on Cortinarius

Crassisporium – see Key to Pholiota

Crepidotus – see Notes on Crepidotus

Crinipellis – see Key to Marasmioid Species

Cuphophyllus – see Key to Hygrophoroid Species

Cystangium – see Key to Truffles & False Truffles, now in genus Russula

Cystoderma – see Key to see Key to Cystoderma

Cystolepiota – see Key to Lepiota and Allies

Daedalea – see Key to Polypores

Daedaleopsis – see Key to Polypores

Deconica – see Key to Strophariaceae (dark-spored)

Dendrocollybia – see Key to Collybioid Species

Dermocybe – included in Cortinarius

Endoptychum – see Key to Truffles & False Truffles, now in Agaricus and Chlorophyllum

Entoloma – see Key to Entolomataceae

Fayodia – see Key to Mycenoid Species

Flammulina – see Key to Keys

Floccularia – included in Key to Tricholoma

Galerina – see Note on Galerina

Gamundia – see Key to Mycenoid Species

Gliophorus – see Key to Hygrophoroid Species

Gloeophyllum – see Key to Polypores

Gloioxanthomyces – see Key to Hygrophoroid Species

Gomphidius – see Key to Gomphidiaceae

Gomphogaster – see Key to Truffles & False Truffles

Gymnopilus – see Key to Gymnopilus

Gymnopus – see Key to Collybioid Species

Hebeloma – see Notes on Hebeloma

Heliocybe – see Key to Keys

Hemimycena – see Key to Mycenoid Species

Hohenbuehelia – see Key to Pleurotoid Species

Humidicutis – see Key to Hygrophoroid Species

Hydropus – see Key to Mycenoid Species

Hygrocybe – see Key to Hygrophoroid Species

Hygrophoropsis – see Notes on Gilled Boletes

Hygrophorus – see Key to Hygrophoroid Species

Hypholoma – see Key to Strophariaceae (dark-spored)

Hypsizygus – see Key to Pleurotoid Species and Lyophyllum and Allies

Infundiblicybe – see Notes on Omphalinoid Species

Inocephalus – see Key to Entolomataceae

Inocybe – see Keys to Inocybe

Kuehneromyces – see Key to Pholiota

Laccaria – see Key to Laccaria

Lactarius – see Key to Lactarius

Lentinellus – see Key to Lentinellus and Neolentinus

Lentinus – see Key to Lentinellus and Neolentinus

Lenzites – see Key to Polypores

Lepiota – see Key to Lepiota and Allies

Lepista – see Key to Lepista

Leptonia – see Key to Entolomataceae

Leratiomyces – see Key to Strophariaceae (dark-spored)

Leucoagaricus – see Key to Lepiota and Allies

Leucocoprinus – see Key to Lepiota and Allies

Leucopaxillus – see Key to Keys

Leucopholiota – see Key to Keys

Lichenomphalia – see Notes on Omphalinoid Species

Limacella – see Key to Limacella

Longula – see Key to Truffles & False Truffles, now in Agaricus

Loreleia – see Notes on Omphalinoid Species

Lyophyllum – see Lyophyllum and Allies

Macowanites – see Key to Truffles & False Truffles, now in Russula

Macrocystidia – see Key to Keys

Macrolepiota – see Key to Lepiota and Allies

Marasmiellus – see Key to Marasmioid Species

Marasmius – see Key to Marasmioid Species

Megacollybia – see Key to Tricholomopsis

Melanoleuca – See Notes on Melanoleuca

Melanophyllum – see Key to Lepiota and Allies

Melanotus – now Deconica, see Key to Strophariaceae (dark-spored)

Micromphale – see Key to Marasmioid Species

Montagnea – see Key to Truffles & False Truffles

Mycena – see Keys to Mycenoid Species

Mycenella – see Keys to Mycenoid Species

Mythicomyces – see Key to Strophariaceae (dark-spored), Key to Keys

Myxomphalia – see Keys to Mycenoid Species, Notes on Omphalinoid Species

Naucoria – see Key to Keys

Neolentinus – see Key to Lentinellus and Neolentinus

Nivatogastrium – see Key to Truffles & False Truffles, now Pholiota

Nolanea – see see Key to Entolomataceae

Omphaliaster – see Notes on Omphalinoid Species

Omphalina – see Notes on Omphalinoid Species

Ossicaulis – see Key to Pleurotoid Species and Lyophyllum and Allies

Panaeolina - see Key to Panaeolus

Panaeolus - see Key to Panaeolus

Panellus – see Key to Pleurotoid Species

Panus – see Key to Pleurotoid Species

Paraeccilia – see Key to Entolomataceae

Parasola – see Key to Coprinoid Species

Paxillus – see Notes on Gilled Boletes

Phaeocollybia – see Key to Phaeocollybia

Phaeolepiota – see Key to Keys

Phaeomarasmius – see Key to Keys

Pholiota – see Key to Pholiota

Phylloporus – see Notes on Gilled Boletes

Phyllotopsis – see Key to Pleurotoid Species

Pleurocybella – see Key to Pleurotoid Species

Pleurotus – see Key to Pleurotoid Species

Plicaturopsis – see Key to Keys

Pluteus – see Notes on Pluteus

Podaxis – see Key to Desert Fungi

Pouzarella – see Key to Entolomataceae

Psathyrella – see Psathyrella in the Pacific Northwest

Pseudoarmillariella – see Key to Keys

Pseudobaeospora – see Key to Keys

Pseudoclitocybe – see Key to Keys

Pseudolaccaria – see Notes on Omphalinoid Species

Pseudoomphalina – see Notes on Omphalinoid Species

Psilocybe – see Key to Strophariaceae (dark-spored)

Resinomycena – see Keys to Mycenoid Species

Resupinatus – see Key to Pleurotoid Species

Rhodocollybia – see Key to Collybioid Species

Rhodocybe – see Key to Entolomataceae

Rickenella – see Key to Mycenoid Species, Notes on Omphalinoid Species

Rozites – see Notes on Cortinarius

Russula – see Key to Russula (2 different ones)

Schizophyllum – see Key to Keys

Setchelliogaster – see Key to Truffles & False Truffles

Squamanita – see Key to Squamanita

Stagnicola – see Key to Keys

Strobilurus – see Key to Marasmioid Species

Stropharia – see Key to Strophariaceae (dark-spored)

Tapinella – see Key to Keys

Tetrapyrgos – see Key to Keys

Thaxterogaster – see Key to Truffles & False Truffles, now Cortinarius

Tricholoma – see Tricholoma

Tricholomopsis – see Key to Tricholomopsis

Trichopilus – see Key to Entolomataceae

Tubaria – see Key to Keys

Volvariella – see Key to Volvariella

Weraroa – see Key to Truffles & False Truffles

Xeromphalina – see Key to Xeromphalina

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