Hebeloma gigaspermum

Hebeloma gigaspermum is a European species of mushroom in the family Hymenogastraceae.

Taxonomy
The species Hebeloma gigaspermum was first described only in 1981 and is externally similar to the much better-known Hebeloma sacchariolens (being placed in subsection Sacchariolentia of the genus). It is not uncommon in Northern Europe and until 1981 examples were probably simply considered to be H. sacchariolens.

The name gigaspermum means "giant-spored".

Description
It is a nondescript clay brown or ochre mushroom with somewhat viscid cap, up to about 5 cm in diameter, and has a strong sweet odour which has been likened to orange blossom or amyl acetate.

Similar species
It is similar to H. sacchariolens, and according to one source can be distinguished by


 * its ecology with willow and alder in boggy ground (as opposed to forests and gardens with broad-leaved trees in general), and
 * its large spore size of 13–17 × 7–9 μm (as opposed to 11–14 × 6–8 μm).

As Hebeloma contains poisonous species, H. sacchariolens is not to be recommended for culinary use.