Laccaria friesii sp. nov. (Hydnangiaceae), a new species from Northwestern Himalaya of Uttarakhand, India

Laccaria friesii sp. nov. is proposed here as a new species based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses of the nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer region. The combination of morphological and molecular data confirmed the novelty of the species and its infrageneric placement within the genus Laccaria. This species was found in association with Rhododendron arboreum and Quercus leucotrichophora and is characterized by large basidiome (17–90 µm pileus diam.), convex to campanulate pileus with a central depression, wavy margins, pink fleshy brown distant lamellae, presence of versiform cheilocystidia and trichoderm type pileipellis.