Chrysomphalina chrysophylla

Pileus
Pileus 1-5 cm broad, convex, broadly so in age, often with a depressed disc; margin incurved at first, becoming decurved, occasionally wavy; surface innately fibrillose to finely scaled, greyish-brown, light-brown to apricot-brown over a dull yellowish ground color, palest at the margin, fading overall in age; flesh thin, pale yellow-orange, unchanging; odor and taste mild.

Lamellae
Gills subdecurrent to decurrent, subdistant, not forked, moderately broad, thin, lamellulae 3-tiered, at first pale-yellow, becoming yellowish-buff.

Stipe
Stipe 1.5-3.5 cm tall, 2-3.5 mm thick, stuffed to hollow, more or less, equal, round, somewhat brittle; surface glabrous, dull orange-brown (colored like the cap), lighter at the apex; partial veil absent.

Spores
Spores 9-14 x 4.5-6 µm, elliptical, smooth, nonamyloid; spore print not seen.

Habitat
Clustered to gregarious on well decayed conifer wood; fruiting from late fall to early winter.

Edibility
Unknown.

Comments
An attractive but uncommon mushroom, Chrysomphalina chrysophylla is recognized by a convex-depressed, peach-colored cap that is overlain with brownish, appressed fibrils or fine scales. Yellowish gills, a nearly glabrous stipe concolorous with the cap and a lignicolous habit also help to identify this species. Chrysomphalina aurantiaca, is a smaller, more common relative with an orangish cap and stipe and peach-orange, decurrent gills. It also occurs on rotting conifer wood. Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca, another wood rotter, is somewhat similar, but has much brighter, forked gills.