Macroscopic features

  Pileus 3-6 x 2-5 mm when still closed, ovoid or ellipsoid, up to 10 mm when expanded, first covered with greyish pink to pink veil, brownish pink in centre, breaking up in minute hairy flocks. Lamellae free, first white to beige, then dark grey to blackish. Stipe up to 25 x 0.5-1 mm, white, grey-white, almost glabrous; base slightly clavate.

Microscopic features

  Spores [40,2,1] 8.2-9.8 x 7.7-9.0 µm, subglobose to globose, dark dirty red-brown, with central to somewhat eccentric, c. 1.6 µm wide germ pore; Q = 1.00-1.10, av. Q = 1.05; av. L = 8.9, av. B = 8.5 µm. Basidia 16-32 x 11-14 µm, 4-spored. Pleurocystidia 90-150 x 24-35 µm, (sub)cylindrical, often with conical apex, narrowly conical or subutriform. Cheilocystidia 80-120 x 16-35 µm, similar to pleurocystidia. Elements of veil thick-walled, diverticulate, 2-5 µm wide, walls up to 1.5 µm thick. Clamp-connections present.

Habitat & distribution

  On dead herbaceous stems. Very rare. Only known from one locality.

Remarks

  The beautiful pink colour of the basidiocarps in combination with the globose spores are distinctive for this taxon. Coprinus herinkii has similarly shaped spores, but smaller, and a thin-walled veil. In Coprinus spilosporus, another species with (sub)globose, and similarly sized spores, the veil is completely different.