Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Hygrophoraceae
Genus: Gliophorus
Species: G. viridis
Binomial name: Gliophorus viridis
Synonyms: Hygrophorus viridis, Gliophorus viridis, Hygrocybe viridis, Hygrocybe stevensoniae
Common name: Verdigris Waxcap, Verdigris Waxy cap
Gliophorus viridis is a species of agaric fungus in the family Hygrophoraceae found in New Zealand and Australia. It is one of two green Gliophorus species in New Zealand. Gliophorus viridis and Gliophorus graminicolor have long been a source of confusion for mycologists, and, at times it was thought there may only be one green species. There is a difference as G. viridis lacks cheilocystidia (specialised cells on the gill edge) while cheilocystidia are present on G. graminicolor. This difference is visible with a hand-held magnifying glass.
G. viridis is most easily distinguished by a firmer, smooth, fleshier, yellowier stem, a more domed cap and is often more slimy or glossy, and a brighter, yellowier green colour in general. There are exceptions as G. viridis can occasionally come up orange or turn orange with age.
G. graminicolor is usually more translucent, and blue-green in colour, with a more granular, crystalline texture to the stem and cap, which often flattens out with age. see: http://www.terrain.net.nz/friends-of-te-henui-group/fungi-te-henui/gliophorus-graminicolor.html
Although green, these mushrooms do not photosynthesize, they are actually saprobic on soil among forest floor litter. Chlorophylls and anthocyanins (glycosides complementary to chlorophyll in photosynthesis) are not present in fungi.
G. viridis is characterized by their green to malachite green caps that are darker at centre, fading with age; glutinous, hydrophanous and are striate at the margins. They are found growing on the forest floor in lowland podocarp broad-leaved forests, often growing among mosses on very rotten logs. They grow to a height of 50 mm and have a 20 mm cap. Their spores are white.
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
