{{Short description|Genus of fungi}} {{Automatic_taxobox | image = Ossicaulis lignatilis 111717.jpg | image_caption = ''Ossicaulis lignatilis'' | taxon = Ossicaulis | authority = Redhead & Ginns (1985) | type_species = ''Ossicaulis lignatilis'' | type_species_authority = (Pers.) Redhead & Ginns (1985) | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = ''O. borealis''<br /> ''O. lignatilis''<br /> ''O. salomii''<br /> ''O. semiocculta''<br /> ''O. sichuanensis''<br /> ''O. yunnanensis'' }}

'''''Ossicaulis''''' is a genus of mushroom-forming fungi in the family Lyophyllaceae.<ref>Kirk PM, Cannon PF, Minter DW, Stalpers JA (2008). ''Dictionary of the Fungi'' (10th ed.). Wallingford, UK: CAB International. p. 488. {{ISBN|978-0-85199-826-8}}.</ref>

==Taxonomy==

The genus was circumscribed in 1985 to contain the species originally described as ''Agaricus lignatilis'' by Christian Hendrik Persoon in 1801.<ref>Redhead SA, Ginns J (1985). "A reappraisal of agaric genera associated with brown rots of wood". ''Transactions of the Mycological Society of Japan''. '''26''' (3): 349–81.</ref> This was considered the sole species in the genus until 2007, when Marco Contu validly published a description of ''O.&nbsp;lachnopus'' from collections in Italy.<ref>Contu M. (2007). "Funghi della Sardegna: note e descrizioni—VII" [Agarics of Sardinia: notes and descriptions—VII]. ''Micologia e Vegetazione Mediterranea'' (in Italian). '''22''' (1): 29–40.</ref> Geentic analysess published in 2013 confirms that ''O.&nbsp;lachnopus'' and ''O.&nbsp;lignatilis'' should be considered distinct species.<ref name=":0">Holec J, Kolarik M (2013). "''Ossicaulis lachnopus'' (Agaricales, Lyophyllaceae), a species similar to ''O. lignatilis'', is verified by morphological and molecular methods". ''Mycological Progress''. '''12''' (3): 589–97. Bibcode:2013MycPr..12..589H. doi:10.1007/s11557-012-0866-2. S2CID 15644123.</ref> Molecular genetics analysis suggests that ''Ossicaulis'' is most closely related to the genera ''Asterophora'', ''Hypsizygus'', ''Lyophyllum'', and ''Tricholomella''.<ref name=":1">Matheny PB, Curtis JM, Hofstetter V, Aime MC, Moncalvo JM, Ge ZW, Yang ZL, Slot JC, Ammirati JF, Baroni TJ (2006). "Major clades of Agaricales: A multilocus phylogenetic overview". ''Mycologia''. '''98''' (6): 982–95. doi:10.3852/mycologia.98.6.982. PMID 17486974.</ref>

==Description==

''Ossicaulis'' species have gills that are adnexed, adnate or somewhat decurrent and a stipe that is centrally or laterally attached to the cap. The hyphal system is monomitic (meaning only generative hyphae are present), the trama is regular, and there are clamp connections in the hyphae. Spores are small and ellipsoidal in shape. The cap cuticle features coral-shaped (coralloid) hyphae, and there are additionally coralloid to narrowly club-shaped cheilocystidia in the hymenium. The two species are similar in most macroscopic characteristics, but they can be reliably differentiated by differences in spore width: ''O.&nbsp;lachnopus'' is 2.8–4.0 by 2.0–2.4&nbsp;μm, while the dimensions of ''O.&nbsp;lignatilis'' spores are 4.0–5.6 by 2.4–3.2&nbsp;μm.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

==Habitat and distribution== Both species are widespread throughout Europe; ''O. lignatilis'' is also found in North America. ''O.&nbsp;lachnopus'' tends to grow in natural forested habitats, while ''O.&nbsp;lignatilis'' prefers habitats that are man-made or have been influenced by man, like towns, villages, parks, and avenues. Both species grow on dead and decaying wood of deciduous (rarely coniferous) trees.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

==Species== {{As of|2025|January}}, Species Fungorum (in the Catalogue of Life) accepts six species of ''Ossicaulis'':<ref name="CoL_63H2Z"/> * ''Ossicaulis borealis'' {{au|X.D.Yu & H.B.Guo (2023)}} * ''Ossicaulis lignatilis'' {{au|(Pers.) Redhead & Ginns (1985)}} * ''Ossicaulis salomii'' {{au|Siquier & Bellanger (2019)}} * ''Ossicaulis semiocculta'' {{au|(Cleland) J.A.Cooper (2023)}} * ''Ossicaulis sichuanensis'' {{au|S.W.Wei, Q.Wang & Yu Li bis (2023)}} * ''Ossicaulis yunnanensis'' {{au|L.P.Tang, N.K.Zeng & S.D.Yang (2017)}}

==References== {{Reflist|refs=

<ref name="CoL_63H2Z">{{Catalogue of Life |id=63H2Z |title=''Ossicaulis'' |access-date=8 November 2025}}</ref>

}}

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Category:Lyophyllaceae Category:Agaricales genera