Community find

Deer Mushroom

Pluteus cervinus

Group

gilled mushroom

Spore print

Pink to salmon-pink

Size

Cap diameter 3–12 cm; stipe length 5–13 cm and 0.5–1.5 cm thick.

Season

Spring through autumn in most temperate regions, often after heavy rain.

Habitat

Found growing on dead wood, including logs, stumps, and piles of wood chips, as well as soil containing buried wood.

Distribution

Widely distributed across North America, Europe, and parts of Asia.

Key characteristics

Gray-brown to dark brown smooth cap that is often slightly wrinkled or streaked with fine fibers; free gills that start white and turn pinkish as spores mature; usually found on decaying wood or buried wood.

Fruiting body

The cap is convex to broadly convex or flat, often with a slight central bump (umbo). The hymenophore consists of crowded, broad gills that are free from the stem. The stipe is solid, white to grayish, and lacks both a ring and a volva.

How to recognise it

Look for pink gills that are clearly 'free' (not touching the stem) and a preference for growing directly on wood. The cap skin can be peeled away easily.

Look-alikes

Pluteus petasatus (lighter cap, prefers wood chips), Megacollybia rodmanii (white gills, has rhizoids/thick white cords at base), Entoloma species (which grow on the ground, never on wood, and have attached gills).

Ecological role

Saprophytic, breaking down hardwood and sometimes softwood debris.

Notes

The scientific name 'cervinus' is Latin for 'deer-like,' referring to the cap color. Although it is a common species, it is part of a complex of several genetically distinct species that look almost identical to the naked eye.