Characteristics
These fungi are mostly dung and grassland species, some of which are quite common in Europe and North America. The gills of Panaeolus do not deliquesce as do the members of the related genus Coprinus. Members of Panaeolus can also be mistaken for Psathyrella, however the latter genus are usually found growing on wood or lignin-enriched soils and have brittle stipes.
The gills of these mushrooms are black or grey and have a spotty, speckled or cloudy appearance, caused by the way that the dark spores ripen together in tiny patches on the gill surface; different patches darken at different times. Another character of the genus is that the spores are smooth.
The closely related genus Panaeolina shares the spotted gills but they are dark brown (not black) and the spores are ornamented. This genus is sometimes treated as part of Panaeolus.
Read more about this topic: Panaeolus