Melanoleuca brevipes Stunted Cavalier

An uncommon, greyish-brown cavalier which has been recorded in some coastal locations in West Glamorgan, including sandy grassland on Baglan Energy Park near Baglan Dunes. It is chacaterised by its relatively short stem, which is much shorter than the diameter of the cap, the creamy or yellowish gills (at maturity) and the cream spore print. Spores are 8-10 microns in length and the abundant cheilocystidia are septate with a drawn-out, narrow, encrusted tip (see photos). It is probably part of a complex of species of which some have been named Melnoleuca malenconii (see Geoffrey Kibby's Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain and Europe, Vol. 2, 2020).