Mycena haematopus

Mycena haematopus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Basidiomycota
Class:	Agaricomycetes
Order:	Agaricales
Family:	Mycenaceae
Genus:	Mycena
Species:	M. haematopus
Binomial name
Mycena haematopus (Pers.) P.Kumm. (1871)
Synonyms[1]
Agaricus haematopus Pers. (1799) Mycena haematopus var. marginata J.E.Lange (1914) Galactopus haematopus (Pers.) Earle (1916)

Species of fungus

Mycena haematopus Mycological characteristics
	Gills on hymenium
	Cap is conical or campanulate
	Hymenium is adnate
	Stipe is bare
	Spore print is white
	Ecology is saprotrophic
	Edibility is not recommended

Mycena haematopus, commonly known as the bleeding fairy helmet, the burgundydrop bonnet, or the bleeding Mycena, is a species of fungus in the family Mycenaceae, of the order Agaricales. It is widespread and common in Europe and North America, and has also been collected in old Japan and Venezuela. It is saprotrophic—meaning that it obtains nutrients by consuming decomposing organic matter—and the fruit bodies appear in small groups or clusters on the decaying logs, trunks, and stumps of deciduous trees, particularly beech. The fungus, first described scientifically in 1799, is classified in the section Lactipedes of the genus Mycena, along with other species that produce a milky or colored latex.

The fruit bodies of M. haematopus have caps that are up to 4 cm (1+5⁄8 in) wide, whitish gills, and a thin, fragile reddish-brown stem with thick coarse hairs at the base. They are characterized by their reddish color, the scalloped cap edges, and the dark red latex they "bleed" when cut or broken. Both the fruit bodies and the mycelia are weakly bioluminescent. M. haematopus produces various alkaloid pigments unique to this species. The edibility of the fruit bodies is not known definitively.