| Entoloma austroprunicolor | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Subclass: | Hymenomycetes |
| Order: | Agaricales |
| Family: | Entolomataceae |
| Genus: | Entoloma |
| Species: | E. austroprunicolor |
| Binomial name | |
| Entoloma austroprunicolor G.M. Gates & Noordel. |
|
Entoloma austroprunicolor is a species of fungus in the Entolomataceae family of mushrooms. First formally described in 2007 by Australian mycologist Genevieve Gates and Dutch mycologist Machiel Noordeloos, this species is found in Australia.[1] The specific epithet is derived from the Latin austro- "southern", and prunicolor "plum-coloured". The type collection was collected at Kermandie Falls, near Geeveston in southern Tasmania. Within the genus Entoloma, it is classified in the subgenus Leptonia, section Cyanula.[2] It resembles the European species Entoloma queletii, but the latter species fades to an ochre colour and has different microscopic features.[2]
The cap measures 1 to 5 cm (0.4–2 in) in diameter, and is convex or umbonate (with a central rounded elevation resembling a nipple). It is bluish-purple when young before reddening to a reddish-purple before fading to a more purplish-grey colour. The adnate gills are crowded closely together, and white initially before becoming tinged with pink from the developing spores. The spore print is pink, and the angular spores measure 10–13 x 6–9 μm. The thin stipe measures 3–7.5 cm tall and 0.2–0.6 cm wide, and is white or nearly white. The smell and taste are indistinct, although the latter has been described as peppery or radish-like.[2] Its edibility is unknown.
It is a common mushroom of wet sclerophyll forests in Tasmania.[2] In a study of the distribution of mushroom species in this area, it was found to occur only in mature or uncut forests.[3]