Gliophorus

Notes

Gliophorus is one of the wax-gill mushrooms, a group of small, brightly-coloured, saprobic, soil-inhabiting fungi which have brittle flesh with a waxy feel when crushed between the fingers. The main genera of wax-gills are Hygrophorus, Humidicutis, Hygrocybe and Gliophorus. Gliophorus is recognised by the thick glutinous coating over the surface, the caps of Humidicutis are characteristically deeply split at the sides, the other genera distinguished on the basis of microscopic features of hyphae in the gills and the cap. Gills broadly attached to stalk or extending down the stalk, no ring on stalk. Spore print white.
There are at least 12 Gliophorus species reported for New Zealand, about half endemic. Some mycologisist do not accept that the glutinous covering found on Gliophorus species is a sufficiently important character to define a genus, and species in this genus may sometimes be seen refered to Hygrocybe.

 

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Images		NZFungi Entry

Hygrophorus chromolimoneus
(=Gliophorus chromolimoneus)
A brilliant yellow species, with gills extending down the stalk. This species occurs also in Australia. G. luteoglutinosus is also yellow, but its gills do not extend down the stalk.

Gliophorus graminicolor
One of the green species, the glutinous coating clearly seen in this image. G. graminicolor has gills with a narrow gelatinous strip along the edge of the gills, whereas G. viridis (also green) typically does not. In addition, the gills of <

Gliophorus lilacipes
One of the species variable in colour.

Gliophorus sulfureus
A pale yellow species.

Gliophorus ostrinus
One of the reddish wax-gills. An endemic species known from very few collections.