Key to Danish species of Stemonitis Gled.

1 Spores with a net-ornamentation of spines in rows. 2
1' Spores with scattered warts or spines, occasionally smooth. 5
2   (1) Sporocarps 6-20 mm high, of which the stalk constitutes 1/3 to 1/2. Capillitial surface net with meshes the size of up to three times the spore diameter. 3
2' Sporocarps 2-6 (-8) mm high. Stalk up to 1/3 of the height. Meshes of the surface net mostly less than or of the size of the spore diameter. 4
3   (2) Spores brown in transmitted light. (7,5-) 8-9 µm in diam. S. fusca Roth var. fusca
3' Spores pale rose to pale rosy brown. (5,5-) 6-7,5 µm in diam. With scattered warts. S. fusca Roth
var. rufescens Lister
4   (2) Sporocarps almost black or very dark brown. Spores pale violaceous brown in transmitted light. 8-9 µm in diam., with a fine-meshed ornamentation (9 or more meshes across a diameter). S. fusca var. nigrescens (Rex) Torrend
4' Sporocarps brown to violaceous brown. Spores pale rosy brown, about 5 meshes across a diameter. S. virginiensis Rex
5   (1) The spores 4-7 µm in diam., with very fine warts (oil imm.). 6
5' The spores (6,5-) 7-9 µm in diam., with fine spines or warts visible without oil imm. 7
6   (5) Sporocarps cinnamon to light reddish brown, 7-15 mm high, mostly tapered somewhat at base and apex, closely aggregated, drooping when mature. Spores 5-7,5 µm in diam. S. axifera (Bull.) T. Macbr. var. axifera
6' Sporocarps cinnamon, 2-5 mm high, cylindrical with rounded apices, upright. Spores 4-6 µm in diam. S. axifera var. smithii (T. Macbr.) Hagelst.
7   (5) Surface net with large meshes (18-100 µm in diam.) S. splendens Rostaf. var. webberi (Rex) Lister
7' Meshes of the surface net mostly less than 20 µm in diam. 8
8   (7) Branches of surface net smooth. Sporocarps (7-) 9-13 mm high, dark brown. S. splendens Rostaf. (S. lignicola Nann.-Bremek.)
8' The branches of the surface net mostly with fine spines. Sporocarps 4-8 mm high, cinnamon or dark reddish brown. 9
9   (8) Columella mostly expanded to for a plate just below the sporangial apex. Immature sporocarps yellow. S. flavogenita E. Jahn
9' Columella tapered towards the apex. Immature sporocarps white. S. pallida Wingate