[15] Basidiospores are small, smooth, hyaline and ranging between globose, ellipsoid, oblong or allantoid in shape.

[6] Sistotrema has been considered a well delimited genus by the urniform basidia, the number of sterigmata and the oily contents of the hyphae.

This character is unique to the Cantharellales, while all other Agaricomycetes have chiastic basidia with a transversely oriented spindle.

[17] Eriksson et al. (1984)[6] mentions that S. heteronemum differs the most from other species in the genus and that its placement in Sistotrema is not certain.

It differs from other species in having cyanophilous hyphal walls and basal hyphae which are partly pigmented brown, which according to the authors shows affinity with Botryobasidium.