ENTOLOMA: introduction

The genus Entoloma is one of the largest genera of Agaricales. In species numbers, Entoloma sensu lato comprises at least 2000 species worldwide. They occur in a very wide range of habitats, from the arctic heath lands through the boreal and temperate forest to the tropics. Particularly interesting habitats for Entoloma species are the so-walled wax cap grasslands, man-made habitats of nutrient poor grasslands. Another rich habitat for Entoloma species are the temperate rainforest of SW Tasmania, Australia, where species abound in the litter of the Nothofagus/Eucalyptus forests. The map below gives a rough estimate of the present day knowledge on the genus in species numbers. However, I am convinced that this is an underestimate, since many regions and habitats are poorly explored.

The genus Entoloma in the large sense used here, is rather heterogeneous, and contains species with very different habit, macroscopical and microscopical characters. In order to find a way in this heterogeneous group, a system of subgenera, sections, and subsections has been created to give a better insight into the structure of the genus, and to facilitate identification. This system, which has it roots in the works of Fries, Quélet, and Romagnesi, is strictly based on morphological characters, and therefore does not necessarily reflect natural affinities nor the phylogeny of the group. Current research shows that the infrageneric classifications needs to be reevaluated due to the outcome of the molecular-phylogenetic analyses. See also the page on phylogeny