Entoloma ochreoprunuloides
A fairly robust Entoloma in semi-natural grasslands with several different colour forms:
- A brown form which is similar to the widespread E. prunuloides (Mealy Pinkgill) but with darker brown cap (including the holotype of E. ochreoprunuloides and E. prunuloides var. obscurum).
- A pink capped form.
- A brown with violaceous tinges form which has historically been included within the concept of Entoloma bloxamii s.l. (E. ochreoprunuloides forma hyacinthinum).
Gills: moderately distant, adnate-emarginate, sordid pink with entire, concolorous edge. Stem: 30-50 x 5-8 mm, cylindrical, straight, off-white to pale grey-brown, much paler than pileus, innately fibrillose lengthwise. Context: concolorous, rather firm. Smell and taste farinaceous (mealy or starchy). Spores: 5.9-7.1 x 5.7-7.2 μm, average 6.6-6.4 μm, Q = 1.01.16, Qav = 1.04, isodiametric, 5-6 angled. Basidia: (27)30-35(43) 8-11.4 μm, 4-spored clavate, clamped. Pileipellis: in the centre a cutis with narrow cylindrical elements of 23-48 x 1.57 μm; in the middle of the radius a cutis of cylindrical elements of 29-60 x 28 μm and with brown pigment, intracellular and diffuse. Subpellis: very well differentiated, made of inflated to rounded elements, 35-69 x 22-34 μm with diffuse, intracellular, brown pigment and also parietal pigment.
Description adapted from L.N. Morgado et al. (2013).
Not formally assessed. E. ochreoprunuloides is only known in Britain from a small number of confirmed sites. Almost all of these are as Entoloma bloxamii redetermined as E. ocreoprunuloides forma hyacinthinum, although other colour forms have been reported. However, E. ochreoprunuloides was only described in 2004 (as E. prunuloides var. obscurum) before being raised to species level in 2013, so previous finds are likely to have been recorded as the widespread E. prunuloides (Mealy Pinkgill). An assessment of Data Deficient would therefore probably be most appropriate for this taxon.
Entoloma ochreoprunuloides f. hyacinthinum is currently included as part of the Entoloma bloxamii complex in most record datasets, and is therefore listed (as E. bloxamii) as a priority species for the conservation of biodiversity in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Found in nitrogen poor, recently mown or grazed, often south facing grassland on lime rich soil.