Mycenaceae

Mycenaceae is a family of small to medium-sized mushrooms in the order Agaricales. The family is anchored by the genus Mycena, the type genus, and includes several related genera. Members are typically saprotrophic, growing on decaying wood, leaf litter, moss, or soil in forests and woodlands worldwide. They form slender, fragile basidiomes with conical to bell-shaped caps, often hygrophanous, and thin, fibrous stipes. The gills are usually narrow and poorly spaced; when mature they produce a white to pale spore print.

Ecology and distribution: Mycenaceae species are important contributors to the decomposition of lignocellulose and nutrient cycling. They occur in a wide range of temperate to tropical habitats, with a higher diversity in moist, shaded environments.

Morphology and identification: Microscopically, the basidia are typically four-spored; some species have distinctive cheilocystidia or other cystidia, and the pileipellis may be a cutis or ixocutis. Most species are small and are not considered choice edible mushrooms; many are regarded as inedible due to small size or fragile texture, though some are consumed locally in certain cultures.

Taxonomy: The family is placed in the order Agaricales within the class Agaricomycetes. Molecular phylogenetics has led to revisions within the group, and the limits of Mycenaceae have shifted as genera have been reorganized over time.

Bioluminescence: Several Mycena species exhibit bioluminescence, a trait that has attracted scientific and naturalist interest.