Stem Characters

Most mushrooms have what we call a fleshy stem. In a few cases, however, it is a thinner, tougher stem. This is usually called a cartilaginous stem. Other mushrooms go the other direction with a big brittle stem that crumbles like damp chalk.
Another very important character of the stem, when it occurs, is the lateral stem, i.e., the stem coming out from the side of the cap. This is usually seen in mushrooms growing on trees.