KEY TO ALBOLEPTONIA OF THE CARIBBEAN ISLANDS AND THE ADJACENT MAINLAND AREAS

Basidiomata small to medium sized. Pileus is entirely white, pale cinereous, pale cream or pale ochraceous, pileus surface appressed fibrillose, silky fibrillose or appressed squamulose. Lamellae white or pale cream at first, becoming fleshy-pink from maturation of basidiospores. Stipe concolorous with pileus, pruinose, squamulose or merely fibrillose-appressed over apex, glabrescent elsewhere. Basidiospores variable in shape, cuboid, pentagonal or heterodiametric elongate and up to 6-7 angled in profile view. Pileipellis a cutis over the margin making transitions to an irregularly entangled trichodermium with narrowly clavate or cylindric terminal cells near and over the disc, pileipellis often not well differentiated from the context. Basidiomata of Alboleptonia produce unique Ehrlich positive reactions and have low urea concentrations when compared to the other species groups of Entoloma sensu lato.

 

 

 

1. Odor of garlic or onions when fresh

…………………………………………………….......…………… A. earlei (Murr.) Largent & Benedict.

(known only from Cuba and Costa Rica)

1. Odor may or may not be present, but not alliaceous

………………….……………………………………………….....................................................................2

 

2. Pileus conical or campanulate but with a distinct papillate umbo, cheilocystidia cylindric, spores heterodiametric (5-6 angled in profile view) and also complex nodulose

.…………................................................................................................................. A. stylophora

2. Pileus and spores not as above

……………………………………………..........................................................................................3

3. Spores cuboid or at least mostly 4 sided in profile view, cheilocystidia absent

..……………………………………………………………………………………………...............................4

3. Spores heterodiametric elongate, with 5 or more angles in profile view, cheilocystidia present or absent

.....…………………………………....................................................................................................................5

4. Pileus and stipe pale rose color, clamp connections present, spores

= 9 x 8 m m

……………….............................................................................................................. A. subrosea

4. Pileus and stipe white, clamp connections absent, spores =

10 x 9 m m

...……….………………………..............................….................................................... A. largentii

5. Cheilocystidia absent, clamp connections absent, spores = 13 x 10.5 m m

...………...…………………………………………………………………………….............. A. hyalodepas

(if spores = 8 x 6 m m and clamps present only at base of hymenial elements see A. earlei)

 

5. Cheilocystidia present, clamp connections present or absent

…………………….……………………………………………………. .......................................................6

6. Clamp connections present

……………………………………….................................................................................................7

6. Clamp connections absent

..……………………………………..................................................................................................9

7. Pileus depressed to cyathiform, stipe solid, cheilocystidia inflated clavate or cylindric (Dennis, 1953), spores 5-6 angled in profile view ( = 9.6 x 7.6 m m, from the type)

..……………........................................................................................................................... A. cyathiformis

 

7. Pileus only slightly depressed on disc if at all, stipe solid or hollow, cheilocystidia narrowly clavate, cylindric or variously shaped but not inflated clavate (however see A. sericella var. lutescens f. roseoalbocitrina (Atkinson) Largent & Benedict in Largent and Benedict,1970)

.………………..................................................................................................................................................8

 

8. Growing on logs, stipe solid, cheilocystidia clavate or narrowly clavate, spores 6- 7 angled in profile view ( = 10.4 x 7.7 m m, from the type)

....…………………………............................................................................................. A. aripoana

 

8. Growing on the ground from soil or leaf litter, stipe typically hollow with age, pileus typically convex or campanulate, however the disc may be very shallowly depressed on some, cheilocystidia versiform but typically not inflated [A. adnatifolia (Murr.) Largent & Benedict, A. ochracea and several varieties and forms of A. sericella from North and South America, none of which are known from the Caribbean as yet, refer to Largent and Benedict,1970 and Dennis, 1961, 1970]

9. Spores heterodiametric elongate, mostly 6-7 angled ( = 12.3 x 8.4 m m), cheilocystidia inflated and globose to sphaeropedunculate or some clavate

.…………………………………………………………………………......................................... A. flavifolia

9. Spores heterodiametric elongate, mostly 5-6 angled ( = 10.5 x 7.7 m m), cheilocystidia clavate

.………………………......................................................................................................................... A. sulcata