All included Lentinus species were transferred to Neolentinus. (Lentinus strigosus was not included in the original key as the current name was Panus rudis.) Lentinellus omphalodes was changed to Lentinellus micheneri. Lentinellus flabelliformis and Neolentinus adhaerens were added. Additional distribution records were inserted, a bibliography was added, and the format changed to conform to new standards.
Additional information was added from Petersen & Hughes (2004). Lentinellus occidentalis and Lentinellus subargillaceus were added in remarks under Lentinellus flabelliformis. A note was added about Lentinellus castoreus under Lentinellus ursinus. Additional distribution records were inserted.
The key contains species of the Lentinellus and Neolentinus found in the Pacific Northwest.
The genera Lentinellus and Neolentinus are keyed together because they have common features. All species of this group are found growing on wood. Some are found on hardwood only, others on conifer only and still others on both. The species are distinguished by their toothed (serrate) gill edges. N. kauffmanii develops the toothed gill edges at full maturity. The toothed gill edges vary from a sawtooth shape on the Neolentinus species to coarsely toothed to ragged on the Lentinellus species.
The spores of the species in the genera are white, except for the spores of Neolentinus lepideus and Lentinellus micheneri. N. lepideus spores vary from pure white to buff color and the spores of L. micheneri are buff color. The spore color of the rare Neolentinus adhaerens is not noted in the description.
Two major differences separate Lentinellus and Neolentinus. They are the spore shape and reaction of the spores to Melzer's reagent. The spores of Lentinellus species are almost round with fine spines and are amyloid in Melzer's. Neolentinus spores are smooth, elliptical and do not have an amyloid (blue) reaction in Melzer's reagent.
The stem of Lentinellus and Neolentinus is centrally located on some species, others are eccentric (off-center) or absent. Species usually fruit in the late Summer and Fall with the exception of Lentinellus montanus which fruits in the Spring or early Summer near snow. The species are not found commonly in this region except for N. lepideus and L. ursinus. N. lepideus is found commonly in Idaho and Washington and L. ursinus is found commonly only in Idaho.
Lentinellus and Neolentinus are a group of species that are not considered to be edible because of the toughness of their fruitbody or taste. Taste of many of the species is bitter or peppery. Lentinellus montanus is tough but has been reported to have good flavor. N. lepideus and N. ponderosus are considered edible only when young. None of the species in the genera have been reported poisonous. Table 1 shows the distribution and edibility of the species in this region.
SPECIES | BRITISH COLUMBIA | WASHINGTON | OREGON | IDAHO | MONTANA | EDIBILITY COLOR |
Lentinellus castoreus | No data | Found9 | No data | No data | No data | No data |
Lentinellus cochleatus | Found3 | Found1 | Found | Rarely found | Reported found | White |
Lentinellus flabelliformis | No data | Found1 | Found1 | Found1 | No data | Gray |
Lentinellus micheneri | Found1 | Found1 | Found | Frequently found1 | Found1 | White |
Lentinellus montanus | No data | Found1 | No data | Frequently found1 | Frequently found1 | White |
Lentinellus subargillaceus | No data | Found8 | Found8 | No data1 | No data1 | White |
Lentinellus ursinus | No data | Rarely found1 | No data | Common1 | No data | White |
Lentinellus vulpinus | Found3 | No data | No data | Rarely found1 | No data | White |
Neolentinus adhaerens | No data | Rare2 | Not found | No data | No data | Gray |
Neolentinus kauffmanii | Found3 | Found4 | Found4 | No data | No data | Gray |
Neolentinus lepideus | Found3 | Common | Reported found6 | Common | Reported found | Green |
Neolentinus ponderosus | No data | Found5 | Found5 | Found5 | Found5 | Green |
Edibility based on color code used by Puget Sound Mycological Society:
Green for edible.
White for valueless (worthless as food, may taste unpleasant).
Yellow for caution (conflicting data, may have toxic properties).
Gray for unknown (no data on edibility).
Pink for poisonous.
1. material examined by Miller & Stewart 1971, but no direct indication of frequency
2. known from two sites in Washington, and from Europe according to Castellano et al. 1999
3. Ginns 1986
4. Castellano et al. 1999
5. Bessette 1995
6. Farr et al. 1989
7. known from two collections in Washington, one in Oregon, and one in California, Petersen & Hughes 2004
8. Petersen & Hughes 2004
9. Petersen & Hughes (2004) separate Lentinellus castoreus (examined from Washington, California and elsewhere) from Lentinellus ursinus (examined from Washington, Idaho, California, and elsewhere)
1a Cap with stem
................................................................................2
1b Cap without stem (sessile)
................................................................................9
2a Stem with ring (annulus) present
................................................................................Neolentinus lepideus
2b Stem with ring absent
................................................................................3
3a Cap smooth
................................................................................4
3b Cap not smooth, hairy or with scales or resinous patches
................................................................................6
4a Stem more than 0.4 cm thick and more than 3 cm long at maturity
................................................................................Neolentinus kauffmanii
4b Stem less than or equal to 0.4 cm thick or less than 1.8 cm long at maturity
................................................................................5
5a Stem well-formed, central or slightly off-center
................................................................................Lentinellus micheneri
5b Stem when present laterally attached to distinctly off-center Lentinellus flabelliformis (see 10a)
6a (3b) Cap finely scaly and progressively covered with an amber resin which darkens and hardens with age, leaving polished shiny reddish brown patches, rare
................................................................................Neolentinus adhaerens
CAP 2-5 cm broad, slightly depressed or umbonate convex to flat, pale gray brown to dark yellow-red-brown, viscid (sticky) in patches, finely scaly, progressively covered with an amber resin which darkens and hardens with age, leaving polished shiny reddish brown patches, slightly pleated margin when young; flesh firm, tough, off-white to pale yellow-brown. ODOR pleasant or fungus-like. TASTE mild or bitter, astringent. GILLS short-decurrent, subdistant (between close and distant), cream becoming pale yellowish brown, occasionally stained reddish brown, with smooth to uneven finely fringed edges, weakly serrate to distinctly finely toothed. STEM 3-7 cm x 0.6-1.6 cm, central to eccentric, with club-shaped base, pale yellow brown darkening to dark gray brown at the base, occasionally staining reddish brown, hairy at top, becoming bald at base. HABIT single or in small groups. HABITAT on conifer wood or hardwood. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-11.5 x 3-3.5 um, smooth, oblong, not amyloid.
6b Cap hairy or with broad scales but without resinous patches
................................................................................7
7a Cap hairy
................................................................................8
7b Cap not hairy (but develops broad scales)
................................................................................Neolentinus ponderosus
8a Cap less than 5 cm
................................................................................Lentinellus cochleatus
CAP 1-5 cm broad, irregularly funnel-shaped, tan to pinkish brown or reddish brown, moist, very brittle, with torn appearance, scattered hairs; flesh tough, watery, colored as cap. ODOR anise. TASTE strongly peppery. GILLS decurrent, thick, brittle, toothed, whitish to pale pinkish brown, may stain brownish. STEM 0.7-5.0 cm long, 0.3-3.0 cm wide, fused in clusters, dry, colored as cap or darker in lower part, ridged, but not from an extension of the gill edges. HABITAT found on hardwood sticks, logs and stumps, especially birch. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 4-5.5 x 3.5-4.5 um, nearly round, amyloid, minute spines.
8b Cap larger than 5 cm
................................................................................Lentinellus vulpinus
9a (1b) Found near or under melting snow
................................................................................Lentinellus montanus
9b Not found in the vicinity of snow
................................................................................10
10a Buff or pinkish buff, usually on hardwoods
................................................................................Lentinellus flabelliformis
CAP 0.3-3.5 cm broad, petal-shaped to fan-shaped, convex becoming flat, or somewhat depressed near point of attachment, somewhat down-curved margin at first, surface smooth, buff or pinkish buff. ODOR none or slightly aromatic. TASTE somewhat farinaceous to slightly peppery. GILLS radiating, decurrent when a short stem is present, close to subdistant, broad (up to 0.5 cm), serrate to toothed, nearly colored as cap, pinkish buff. STEM usually absent, if present short (up to 1.8 cm long), eccentric to lateral, buff to pinkish buff. HABIT usually growing in clusters, in groups, or somewhat overlapping like shingles. HABITAT on bark or barkless sticks and logs of hardwoods, rarely conifer wood. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 4.5-7 x 3.4-5 um, nearly round to short elliptical, amyloid, with minute spines, gloeocystidia and leptocystidia present, pileocystidia absent, skeletalized (thick-walled) generative hyphae in trama. REMARKS According to Petersen and Hughes (2004) Lentinellus occidentalis is similar to Lentinellus flabelliformis but 1) spores are 4.7-6.2 x 3.6-4.5 microns, 2) pileocystidia are present on cap, and 3) generative hyphae are thin-walled, without skeletalized generative hyphae. Lentinellus subargillaceus was also often identified before its formal description as Lentinellus flabelliformis but is distinguished from other Lentinellus species by 1) small, conchate fruitbodies up to 3.2 cm broad, with or without a short lateral stem, 2) relatively large, elliptic spores 4.5-7.0 x (3.3)4.0-4.5 um, 3) gloeocystidia seen (but not leptocystidia), 4) prominent pseudopileocystidia (gloeoplerous hyphal tips on cap surface), and 5) prominent pseudocheilocystidia.
10b Dark brown, usually (in Pacific Northwest) on conifers
................................................................................Lentinellus ursinus
adnate - (of gills) meeting the stem at right angles
adnexed - (of gills) narrowly attached to stem
amyloid - (of tissue or spores): a blue to violet reaction which takes place when an iodine solution (Melzer's reagent) is placed on the tissue or spore
annulus - ring on the stem resulting from the rupture of the inner veil
buff - (a color) a pale yellow toned with gray, that is, a dingy pale yellow
convex - (of cap) regularly rounded; broadly rounded
decurrent - (of gills) extending down the stem
farinaceous - with an odor like freshly ground wheat flour
furfuraceous - (of cap or stem) covered with branlike particles
fused - (of stem) two or more stems arising from a common base.
Melzer's reagent - a solution used to test for the amyloid (blue) reaction of fungal cell walls. It contains 20 cc of water, 1.5 gm. Of potassium iodide, 0.5 gm. of iodine and 20 gm. of chloral hydrate.
micron - one thousandth of a millimeter.
not amyloid - (of spore coverings) remaining clear or becoming yellowish in Melzer's reagent
notched - (of gills) curving up near stem then back down close to stem
serrate - (of gill edges): ranging from sawtooth-like to near ragged.
um - one thousandth of a millimeter = micron
GENUS AND SPECIES | KEY ENTRIES |
LENTINELLUS P. Karst. | |
L. castoreus (Fr.) Kühner & Maire | 10b |
L. cochleatus (Pers.) P. Karst. | 8a |
L. flabelliformis (Bolton) Ito | 5b, 10a |
L. micheneri (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) Pegler | 5a |
formerly L. omphalodes (Fr.) P. Karst. | |
L. montanus O.K. Miller | 9a |
L. occidentalis R.H. Petersen | 10a |
L. subargillaceus (Kauffman) R.H. Petersen | 10a |
L. ursinus (Fr.) Kühner | 10b |
L. vulpinus Kühner & Maire | 8b |
NEOLENTINUS Redhead & Ginns | |
N. adhaerens (Alb. & Schw.: Fr.) Redhead & Ginns | 6a |
N. kauffmanii (A.H. Sm.) Redhead & Ginns | 4a |
formerly Lentinus kauffmanii A.H. Sm. | |
N. lepideus (Fr.: Fr.) Redhead & Ginns | 2a |
formerly Lentinus lepideus (Fr.) Fr. | |
N. ponderosus (O.K. Miller) Redhead & Ginns | 7b |
formerly Lentinus ponderosus O.K. Miller |
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