A whitish, hard-fleshed Leucopaxillus that decomposes hardwood leaf litter, mainly in oak and beech forests of eastern North America. It looks almost identical to L. albissimus, which favors conifers, and is most reliably separated by its smaller spores. Mycologists who do not accept the hardwood-conifer split do not separate the two.
Not recommended. No edibility information specific to this species was found. Leucopaxillus species are not known to be poisonous, but they are tough and generally unappealing.
Never eat a wild mushroom based on a web page — confirm with an expert.
Habitat
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Saprobic on hardwood leaf litter, mainly in oak and beech forests, sometimes near tree bases. Scattered or in groups, sometimes in fairy rings, early summer to fall.
Distribution
Eastern and central North America (United States and Canada).
Characteristics
Cap: 3-12 cm, convex with an inrolled margin, becoming broadly convex to flat, dry, bald to finely velvety, whitish to beige or pale tan, often with a pinkish tinge. Gills: broadly attached to decurrent, close to nearly crowded, whitish, sometimes dirty yellowish or brownish with age, separable as a layer. Stem: 4-7 cm long, 1-1.5 cm thick, often swollen at the base when young, whitish, discoloring brownish, with prominent white basal mycelium. Flesh: white, thick, hard. Odor: mealy or unpleasant, likened to coal tar. Spore print: white. Spores: 3-5.5 x 3-4 um, broadly ellipsoid to nearly round, finely spiny, amyloid.
