A medium-small Pluteus of decaying hardwood with a finely velvety, golden to brownish yellow cap that is usually browner at the center, and free gills that turn pink. North American material was for years called by the European name P. leoninus, but a 2025 revision of the P. leoninus clade recognized P. flavofuligineus as a distinct North American species, alongside five newly described ones.
Edibility is not documented in the sources consulted. Do not eat; yellow Pluteus species are poorly known, and several Pluteus species contain psilocybin.
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Habitat
Saprobic, alone or scattered on decaying hardwood logs and debris, sometimes appearing terrestrial; causes a white rot. Late spring, early summer and fall east of the Rocky Mountains.
Distribution
North America. Older reports under P. leoninus describe it as widely distributed in North America, but the 2025 revision recognizes six species of this group on the continent, so the range of P. flavofuligineus in the strict sense needs confirmation.
Characteristics
Cap: 3-5 cm, convex or bell-shaped becoming broadly convex to nearly flat, often with a broad central bump; finely velvety to silky, especially at the center; golden to dull or brownish yellow with a brownish center; margin not lined. Gills: free or nearly so, close or crowded, whitish then pink. Stem: 5-9 cm long, up to 0.5 cm thick, tapering slightly upward, whitish to yellowish or brownish, becoming hollow; basal mycelium white. Flesh: thin, white, unchanging. Odor and taste: not distinctive. Spore print: pink. Spores: 5.5-7 x 5-6 um, subglobose to broadly ellipsoid, smooth (MushroomExpert, North American material described as P. leoninus).
