Marasmius haematocephalus.
Kingdom Fungi > Class Agaricomycetes > Family Marasmiaceae.
These are small mushrooms growing on leaf litter.
Species caps are 4 to 10 mm across, forms can be 1 to 30 mm.
Young caps are conical and older ones bell-shaped or convex.
There may be an umbo in the centre and there are radial striations or grooves (sulcate).
The very thin hollow stalk, up to 5 cm high and only 0.5 mm thick has a smooth surface.
The upper section is pale purple and the base is dark brown, black or a purplish-black.
The around 13 gills are distant, typically not attached to the stem but some may be slightly attached.
There are occasional short gills (lamellulae).
Gills are white with the edges the same colour as the cap.
One authority recognized nine varieties with different coloured caps.
Descriptions have blood red, deep red, deep reddish-brown, dark brown and cinnamon.
Other colours are maroon, violet, dark violet, purple, dark purple, magenta and yellowish-orange.
The edge may be whitish or a different colour or shade and the colours fade on older caps.
J.F.
