Local Name
Tsrumanch’k’vala (1).

Description
Cap: The cap is 4–10 cm across, convex, becoming broadly convex, nearly flat, or irregular in age, with an incurved margin when young, bald, dry or moist, brick red overall, but paler (pinkish to buff) on the margin, especially when young, the margin sometimes hung with wispy veil fragments. Gills are attached to the stem, close or crowded, when young covered by a whitish, cortina-like veil, whitish when very young, but soon pale gray to gray, becoming purple-gray to dark purple brown with maturity, short-gills frequent. Stem: The stem is 4–12 cm tall, 0.8–2 cm thick, more or less equal, or twisted and tapering to base due to the clustered growth pattern, bald, or finely hairy near the apex, often featuring an ephemeral or persistent ring zone near the top, yellowish to whitish above, brown to reddish below, sometimes bruising and staining yellow. Flesh: The flesh is firm, whitish-yellowish or pale yellow, odor not distinctive, taste mild or slightly bitter. Spores: The spores are 6–7 X 3–4 µm, elliptical, smooth, purple brown.
Habitat: Growing in clusters on decaying logs, stumps and hardwoods. Season: Summer, autumn.
Distribution: All regions of Georgia (2).

Uses
Edibility: Considered as poisonous (1).

References
1. Nakhutsrishvili, I.G. (2007) Fungi of Georgia. Tbilisi: Buneba Printi.
2. Nakhutsrishvili, I.G., et al. (1986) Flora of Spore-producing Plants of Georgia (Summary). Tbilisi: Metsniereba (Russian).