Fried Chicken Mushroom: Lyophyllum decastes

Pileus
Cap 4-14 cm broad, convex, becoming plane; margin incurved when young, lobed to irregular, sometimes upturned in age; surface smooth, grey to grey-brown, moist to lubricous; flesh thin, white, odor mild.

Lamellae
Gills adnate to subdecurrent, close, white.

Stipe
Stipe 5-10 cm long, 1-3 cm, thick, smooth, white to pallid, sometimes with brown discolorations below, equal to tapered at the base; veil absent.

Spores
Spores 5-7 x 5-6 µm, smooth, nearly round. Spore print white.

Habitat
Clustered on disturbed ground, e.g. lawns, trails, and dirt parking lots; from fall to spring.

Edibility
Edible and popular in some regions, but several forms of this species may occur in California, and little is known of the edibility of the local populations.

Comments
Lyophyllum decastes is a species complex. In the San Franciso Bay Area, the common form has grey-brown caps. It often fruits in large clumps which are sometimes mistaken for Armillaria mellea when the latter fruits in clusters from buried wood. The Honey Mushroom, however, differs by having a yellow-brown to reddish-brown cap with a slightly scaly disc and an annulus.