Small to medium agaric, growing on litter or wood, with a white spore print. Pileus pale or brown, dry or viscid (and often sticky to touch). Lamellae free. Stipe excentric or lateral. Partial veil remnants absent. Spores hyaline, amyloid, smooth; germ pore absent. Cheilocystidia present. Lamellar trama regular. Pileipellis a trichoderm. Clamp connections present.

The genus Dictyopanus is very similar, apart from the pored or sublamellate rather than lamellate hymenium. Indeed, some authors place species such as Dictyopanus pusillus, which is common in Australia, in Panellus. The other two species of Panellus differ by the pink, viscid pileus (P. longinquus) or by having non-amyloid spores (P. ligulatus). All other pleurotoid agarics (see Pleurotus) have non-amyloid spores, except for Lentinellus, where the lamellae edges are serrate and the spores are ornamented.

One species: Panellus stipticus.

Panellus stipticus (Bull. : Fr.) P.Karst., Bidrag Kännedom Finlands Natur Folk 32 [Ryssl. Hattsvamp 1] 96 (1879).

S.A., Qld, N.S.W., Vic. and Tas. (and possibly also N.T.).

In native forests.

On litter or wood.

Saprotrophic.

Note: Panellus stipticus is sometimes spelled 'stypticus'.

Breitenbach, J. & Kränzlin, F. (eds) (1991), Fungi of Switzerland. Volume 3. Boletes and Agarics 1st part. Edition Mykologia, Lucerne. [Illustration, Description and Microcharacters of P. stipticus from Europe]

Burdsall, H.H., Jr & Miller, O.K. (1975), A reevaluation of Panellus and Dictyopanus, Beih. Nova Hedwigia 51: 79–92. [Description, B&W Illustration and Microcharacters of P. stipticus from North America]

Fuhrer, B. (2005), A Field Guide to Australian Fungi. Bloomings Books, Hawthorn. [Description and Illustration of P. stipticus]

Fuhrer, B. & Robinson, R. (1992), Rainforest Fungi of Tasmania and South-east Australia. CSIRO Press, East Melbourne. [Illustration of P. stipticus]

Grgurinovic, C.A. (1997a), Larger Fungi of South Australia. The Botanic Gardens of Adelaide and State Herbarium and The Flora and Fauna of South Australia Handbooks Committee, Adelaide. [Description and Microcharacters of P. stipticus]

Jin, J., Hughes, K.W. & Petersen, R.H. (2001), Phylogenetic relationships of Panellus (Agaricales) and related species based on morphology and ribosomal large subunit DNA sequences, Mycotaxon 79: 7–121.

McCann, I.R. (2003), Australian Fungi Illustrated. Macdown Productions, Vermont. [Illustration of P. stipticus]

Shepherd, C.J. & Totterdell, C.J. (1988), Mushrooms and Toadstools of Australia. Inkata Press, Melbourne. [Illustration of P. stipticus]