''Tectella patellaris'', commonly known as the veiled panus, is a species of

mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. ''Toadstool'' generally refers to a poisonous mushroom. The standard for the n ...

in the family

Mycenaceae The Mycenaceae are a family of fungi in the order Agaricales. According to the ''Dictionary of the Fungi'' (10th edition, 2008), the family contains 10 genera and 705 species. This is one of several families that were separated from the Tricholo ...

. The small, inconspicuous, dull brown mushroom is found in groups or clusters on the decaying wood of broad-leaved trees. Young specimens are easily recognized by the presence of a partial veil, as there are no other agarics that lack a stipe and have a partial veil.

Description

The

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

may be somewhat viscid when wet. Dimensions of the cap are approximately 0.5–2.0 cm across. The fruit body is generally small, brown, and clamshell-shaped. ''Tectella patellaris'' often lacks a true

stem Stem or STEM most commonly refers to: * Plant stem, a structural axis of a vascular plant * Stem group * Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Stem or STEM can also refer to: Language and writing * Word stem, part of a word respon ...

, but may include a very short one: the stipitate point of attachment manifests as a lateral extension of the pileus, ranging from 0.1 to 0.3 cm. The

gills A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are ...

radiate from this central point of attachment. This mushroom is

saprobic Saprotrophic nutrition or lysotrophic nutrition is a process of chemoheterotrophic extracellular digestion involved in the processing of decayed (dead or waste) organic matter. It occurs in saprotrophs, and is most often associated with fungi ...

and found on fallen logs of hardwoods in North America and Europe. The

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

''patellaris'' means "dish shaped". The mushroom is commonly known as the "Veiled Panus". The snuff brown gills of young specimens are covered with a buff white ephemeral partial veil that may be absent in older specimens. The spore deposit from ''Tectella patellaris'' is white. The species is inedible.

Microscopic characteristics

The

spore In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual reproduction, sexual (in fungi) or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for biological dispersal, dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores fo ...

s are 3–4 × 1–1.5

μm The micrometre (Commonwealth English as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American English), also commonly known by the non-SI term micron, is a unit of length in the International System ...

, smooth, and cylindrical, and weakly amyloid. Spores are white in mass. Cheilocystidia are present on gill edges.

Similar species

''Tectella patellaris'' can be distinguished from other saprophytic, white-spored, pendulous species by the presence of its partial veil and unique lamellar attachment. ''Panellus stipticus'' is tougher, lacks the partial veil, and is luminescent. '' Crepidotus mollis'' and '' Crepidotus applanatus'' are brown-spored.

Habitat and distribution

'' Tectella patellaris'' is widely distributed in North America and Europe and due to its inconspicuous and unassuming presence, may be more common than is reported.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7692811 Mycenaceae Fungi described in 1838 Fungi of Asia Fungi of Europe Fungi of New Zealand Fungi of North America Inedible fungi Fungus species