About this fungus
Yellow Shield is a fungus in the Pluteaceae family. Its habitat and field characteristics are summarised below.
A small, fragile shield mushroom with a mustard-yellow to olive-ochre cap, free gills and a slender pale stem. It grows from dead or buried broadleaved wood rather than directly from ordinary soil.
What to check
Check that the gills do not meet the stem and that they change from white to pink as the spores mature. There is no ring or volva. Note the woody substrate and the finely textured yellow cap, but use microscopy for exact separation from other small yellow Pluteus.
Lookalikes
Pluteus leoninus is generally larger and more golden, while other yellow members of Pluteus can overlap in cap colour and habitat. Free pink-maturing gills support the genus, but microscopic cap cells and spores may be needed for the species.
Habitat and range
Saprotrophic on decaying or buried broadleaved wood, including fallen trunks, stumps and woody debris. Elm is one recorded substrate, not an exclusive host. It occurs in Europe and has also been documented in temperate parts of Asia.
Food safety
Edibility is uncertain or disputed.
Photographs
Tatiana Bulyonkova / CC BY-SA 2.0