Arrhenia is a
genus of about 25 species in the family
Hygrophoraceae.
Arrhenia also includes species formerly placed in the genera
Leptoglossum and
Phaeotellus and the
lectotype species itself has an unusual growth form (discussed below) that would not normally be called
agaricoid. All of the species grow in association with photosynthetic
cryptogams such as
mosses, including
peat moss, and
alga scums on decaying wood, and soil crusts consisting of mixes of such organisms. Typically the
fruitbodies of
Arrhenia species are grey to black or blackish brown, being pigmented by incrusting
melanized pigments on the
hyphae.