by Bloomsbury
Grows on dung, woodchip mulch or rotting straw, or in grass enriched by dung. Widespread and common.
SEASON
Late summer to autumn.
Sulphur Tuft
Hypholoma fasciculare
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 7cm; stem to 9cm. Cap surface smooth and sulphur-yellow, developing a green tint, then blackening; initially convex, then flatter and often umbonate. Gills yellowish-green, then purple-black; crowded and adnate. Flesh yellowish. Stem coloured as the cap, cylindrical and usually curved. Grows in dense tufts, the lower caps becoming discoloured from the black spores of those above.
HABITAT
Occurs on dead wood of any type. Widespread and common.
SEASON
All year, but found mainly summer and autumn.
Conifer Tuft
Hypholoma capnoides
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 6cm; stem to 7cm. Cap pale ochre-yellow; initially convex, later becoming flatter and often umbonate, with a wavy margin. Gills bluish-grey, darkening to purplish-brown; crowded and adnate. Flesh yellow. Stem long and cylindrical, and often bent; buff with yellowish tinges and a darker brown base.
HABITAT
Grows in tufts on decayed conifer wood. Northerly distribution in Europe; uncommon.
SEASON
Spring to late autumn.
Sheathed Woodtuft
Kuehneromyces mutabilis
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 6cm; stem to 8cm. Cap smooth tan when wet, drying out from the centre to a pale ochre-yellow, giving a two-toned appearance; convex expanding to flattish umbonate. Gills pale ochre, becoming cinnamon-brown when mature. Flesh cinnamon-brown. Stem pale tan and smooth above the short-lived ring, darker below with fine dark scales that become denser and almost black at the base. Also called Brown Stew Fungus.
HABITAT
Grows in dense tufts on the stumps and logs of deciduous trees, particularly birches and beeches. Widespread and common throughout northern Europe.
SEASON
Early summer to late autumn.
Shaggy Scalycap
Pholiota squarrosa
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 11cm; stem to 15cm. Cap deep yellow and covered in dark brown scales; initially convex, then becoming flatter. Gills yellow, shedding rusty-brown spores; crowded and adnate. Stem long in relation to cap size, and concolorous with the cap; brown scales below ring area.
HABITAT
Grows in dense tufts at the bases of living deciduous trees, particularly beeches and rowans, and also occasionally conifers. Occurs infrequently.
SEASON
Late summer to autumn.
Dung Roundhead
Stropharia semiglobata
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 4cm; stem to 10cm. Cap pale yellow; slimy and hemispherical, sometimes with a barely defined umbo. Gills black; wide and adnate. Stem very slender and smooth, similar in colour to the cap and carrying a slight black ring.
HABITAT
Grows in small troops on and near to dung, especially that of herbivores, and occasionally on manured grassland.
SEASON
Late spring to late autumn.
Verdigris Toadstool
Stropharia aeruginosa
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 8cm; stem to 10cm. Cap characteristically coloured verdigris green, and slimy; convex at first, then flatter with a broad shallow umbo. Gills initially white but become grey, then purplish-black; adnate to sinuate. Flesh bluish-white. Stem white, squamulose, with a small but definite ring that catches the spores and becomes black. Poisonous: off-putting colour signals that it is inedible.
HABITAT
Grows in small troops among grass in woodland, pasture and heaths. Widespread.
SEASON
Midsummer to autumn.
Magic Mushroom
Psilocybe semilanceata
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 1.5cm; stem to 7.5cm. Cap a characteristic bonnet shape with an incurved margin; yellowish-cream, smooth and sticky when damp. Gills light brown maturing to dark brown; adnate. Stem long and very thin, and pale buff in colour. Poisonous: its hallucinogenic properties have given it the name Magic Mushroom, and it is now illegal to possess it. Also called Liberty Cap.
HABITAT
Occurs in scattered troops in short grass everywhere. Infrequent but locally common.
SEASON
Summer to autumn.
Petticoat Mottlegill
Panaeolus papilionaceus
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 4cm; stem to 12cm. Small species that undergoes an extreme change of colour as it dries. Cap blackish-brown when young, changing to a pale creamy-ochre, darker in the centre; conical or convex at first, then bell shaped, sometimes umbonate; margin when fresh has a frill of white fibres. Gills black; adnate. Stem also changes colour as it dries, from dark brown to cream at the apex.
HABITAT
Grows in troops in rich grassland, often on or near dung. Widespread and common.
SEASON
Early summer to autumn.
Egghead Mottlegill
Panaeolus semiovatus
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 6cm; stem to 15cm. Cap pale clay in colour with a yellow tinge towards the centre, the shape of half an oval; greasy on the surface when moist, and shiny and wrinkled when dry. Gills black and unevenly spotted with white-fringed edges; adnate. Flesh pale and slight. Stem concolorous with the cap, tall and slim with a fibrous black ring.
HABITAT
Grows in troops in horse and cow dung, and in manure in gardens. Widespread and common.
SEASON
Summer to early winter.
Parasol
Macrolepiota procera
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 25cm; stem to 30cm. Large and distinctive mushroom with a parasol-like cap and long stem. Cap pallid brown with a dark brown centre radiating into broad dark brown scales as the cap expands; drumstick shaped when young, expanding to umbonate with age. Gills white; free. Flesh white, soft and thin. Stem brownish and covered with a darker layer that breaks up into snakeskin-like markings; carries a double ring that sits high up the stem but is moveable at maturity.
HABITAT
Grows in grassland, meadows, roadside verges, open woodland and parks. Widespread but unevenly distributed.
SEASON
Midsummer to late autumn.
Parasol species
Macrolepiota excoriata
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 10cm; stem to 7cm. Cap white with pale buff scales; convex at first, later flattish with a frayed margin. Gills white or cream; crowded and free from the stem. Flesh white and soft. Stem white with a thin, tightly attached ring bearing a fringed brownish margin.
HABITAT
Only grows in pastureland, particularly water meadows. Widespread but patchy in Europe. Rare in Britain, but grows abundantly on the Somerset Levels.
SEASON
Late summer to late autumn.
Slender Parasol
Macrolepiota mastoidea
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 12cm; stem to 10cm. Cap white with a brown centre that breaks up into scales towards the shaggy margin; globular when young, expanding to flattish convex and umbonate with maturity. Gills white; very crowded and free. Flesh cream to pale brownish. Stem white covered with small brownish scales; swollen base and large white ring that is moveable at maturity.
HABITAT
Occurs in troops in pastures and on cultivated land. Widely distributed throughout Britain, but nowhere common.
SEASON
Late summer to autumn.
Stinking Parasol
Lepiota cristata
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 4cm; stem to 5cm. Cap white covered with reddish-brown scales that are dense in the centre and absent towards the edge; initially hemispherical, later convex to flat with a blun
t umbo. Gills white; crowded and free. Flesh white. Stem slightly yellow or brown, with a white or brownish ring. Strong and unpleasant smell.
HABITAT
Grows in deciduous woodland, gardens and pastures. Widespread and very common – the most common parasol.
SEASON
Late summer to autumn.
Shaggy Parasol
Chlorophyllum rhacodes
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 18cm; stem to 15cm. Resembles Parasol, but is stouter and has more shaggy scales on the cap. Cap pale buff to cinnamon-brown, breaking up to form fibrous shaggy scales as the cap expands, showing white flesh beneath; egg shaped when young, expanding to convex to flattish with age. Gills white; crowded and free. Flesh thick and white, reddening in stem when cut. Stem white tinged pinkish-brown, smooth and with a two-tiered white ring that is moveable at maturity.
HABITAT
Grows singly or in scattered groups in coniferous and deciduous woodland, and in hedgerows. Widespread but unevenly distributed in Europe.
SEASON
Midsummer to late autumn.
Earthy Powdercap
Cystoderma amianthinum
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 5cm; stem to 5cm. Small fungus at one time in the Lepiota genus. Cap yellowish-tan and scaly; initially conical, then flattened and sometimes umbonate. Gills white or cream; adnate. Flesh white. Stem white above the immoveable ring, but both the underside of the ring and the entire stem below it are covered with scales similar in colour to the cap.
HABITAT
Mainly a heathland species. Widespread and common.
SEASON
Late summer to autumn.
Yellow- staining Mushroom
Agaricus xanthodermus
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 10cm; stem to 10cm. Cap white bruising to yellow, with a similar shape to that of edible Field Mushroom. Gills whitish to pale pink, becoming grey then black; adnate to free. Flesh at the base of the stem discolours yellow when cut. Stem with a large floppy ring. Smell unpleasant, carbolic. Poisonous: can cause severe digestive disturbances in some people.
HABITAT
Grows in woods, meadows and gardens. Widespread and common species.
SEASON
Summer to autumn.
Field Mushroom
Agaricus campestris
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 10cm; stem to 8cm. Familiar medium-sized sturdy mushroom. Cap creamy-white with variable brownish scales on the surface. Gills start pink before becoming chocolate-brown or blackish at maturity; adnate. Flesh white. Stem white with a ring.
HABITAT
Grows in groups, which are occasionally very large after rain, on chalky soil among grass, and in meadows and pastures. Quite common in Europe, but declining.
SEASON
Midsummer to late autumn.
The Prince
Agaricus augustus
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 25cm; stem to 20cm. Cap chestnut-brown at first, becoming patterned with fibrous scales in concentric rings on a yellow-tinged background as the cap expands; initially ovoid, then convex with a flattened centre. Gills pale pink, becoming chocolate-brown or blackish; crowded and free. Flesh white, bruising yellow, with a strong odour of bitter almonds. Stem white above ring, which is persistent, large and hanging; scaly below, penetrating deep into substrate.
HABITAT
Grows in clumps or clusters on rich soil in deciduous and coniferous woodland, hedges and gardens. Widespread across Europe, but nowhere common.
SEASON
Late summer to autumn.
Wood Mushroom
Agaricus silvicola
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 18cm; stem to 10cm. Cap cream bruising yellowish, smooth and shining; egg shaped at first, then convex and eventually almost flat. Gills pinkish-grey, becoming chocolate-brown to black at maturity; crowded and free. Flesh thin and white with an odour of aniseed. Stem concolourous with the cap; slightly bulbous base and a large ring.
HABITAT
Grows in troops on soil in coniferous and deciduous woodland. Widespread in Europe, but occasional.
SEASON
Late summer to autumn.
Horse Mushroom
Agaricus arvensis
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 15cm; stem to 12cm. Cap ivory-white bruising yellow, mealy when young, then silky. Gills white at first, becoming greyish-pink, then black; adnate and almost free. Flesh thick, firm and white with a strong odour of aniseed. Stem stout, carrying a thick, cogwheel-like ring.
HABITAT
Grows in cultivated fields, often in large ‘fairy’ rings. Widespread but unevenly distributed in Europe.
SEASON
Early summer to late autumn.
Macro Mushroom
Agaricus urinascens
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 30cm; stem to 12cm. Cap whitish; deeply domed, eventually expanding to become convex, and splitting into woolly or scaly patches. Gills whitish-grey turning pink and finally brown; crowded and free. Flesh firm and white with an odour of aniseed that becomes unpleasant with age. Stem creamy white with a tapering base; lower half covered with thick scales.
HABITAT
Grows in rings in nutrient-rich pastures, particularly on calcareous soil. Widespread but uncommon across Europe.
SEASON
Early to late summer.
Scaly Wood Mushroom
Agaricus silvaticus
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 10cm; stem to 12cm. Cap brownish; button-like at first, expanding to convex with a pattern of flaky fibrous scales against a whitish background. Gills pale pink at first, and becoming reddish, then chocolate-brown when mature; free. Flesh firm and white, becoming red and finally dark brown when cut. Stem whitish above a pendulous brownish ring and scaly below, with a slightly bulbous base. Also called Red-staining Mushroom.
HABITAT
Occurs in troops on rich soils in woodland, particularly under conifers, favouring spruce. Quite common and widespread across Europe.
SEASON
Late summer to autumn.
Pavement Mushroom
Agaricus bitorquis
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 12cm; stem to 8cm. Cap pale greyish-brown; broadly convex to flattish. Gills dull pink becoming clay coloured, then chocolate-brown; crowded and free. Flesh white tinged with pink where cut, with a sour odour. Stem thick, white and smooth with two separate sheathing rings, the lower one thinner.
HABITAT
Grows in trooping groups on sandy soil, particularly compacted ground in urban areas, and by roadsides. Fairly common and widespread across Europe.
SEASON
Spring to autumn.
Shaggy Inkcap
Coprinus comatus
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 12cm; stem to 30cm. Cap white, becoming brown on top; oval; hairy-scaly with hairs turning outwards at an intermediate stage. Gills becoming black with spores and liquefying so that the spores are spread by rain; crowded and free. Flesh white when young. Stem tall, white when young, with a persistent mobile white ring, often blackened with falling spores. Also called Lawyer’s Wig.
HABITAT
Grows in small tufts or troops on grass verges, lawns, fallow fields, compost heaps and disturbed ground. Common and widespread across Europe.
SEASON
Early spring to late autumn.
Common Inkcap
Coprinopsis atramentaria
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 7cm; stem to 17cm. Cap greyish-brown or brown turning black; egg shaped and furrowed; margin becomes uplifted and split. Gills white becoming black and liquefying into ‘ink’, which was once used for writing; free. Stem tall and fairly slim.
HABITAT
Grows in a wide variety of habitats, and is capable of pushing its way through paths and paving. Occurs in large clusters and troop
s. Common and widespread in Europe, with an uneven distribution.
SEASON
Midsummer to early winter.
Fairy Inkcap
Coprinellus disseminatus
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 1.2cm; stem to 4cm. Cap creamy-buff and bell shaped, becoming greyish and convex at maturity. Gills white, becoming greyish and eventually black; crowded and free. Flesh white and fragile. Stem white and downy. Also called Trooping Crumble Cap.
HABITAT
Grows in massive clusters on the rotting stumps of deciduous trees. Common and widespread throughout Europe.
SEASON
Early spring to late autumn.
Glistening Inkcap
Coprinellus micaceus
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 3cm; stem to 10cm. Cap pale ochre-yellow, darker towards the centre, ornamented on top with glistening flecks of veil; soon darkens with age and loses the micaceous granules; oval when young, becoming bell shaped. Gills white, then blackening; free. Flesh whitish-grey. Stem white and smooth.
HABITAT
Grows on wood in dense clusters, or sometimes on the ground attached to buried wood. Common and widespread throughout Europe.
SEASON
Spring to early winter.
Weeping Widow
Lacrymaria lacrymabunda
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 10cm; stem to 10cm. Cap pale ochre-brown; convex, then flatter with a broad umbo; covered in woolly fibrils that overhang the edge as a fringe. Gills dark purplish-brown with a white edge; adnate and characteristically covered with droplets. Stem white at the top, becoming brown below the ring zone and scaly towards the base; ring short-lived and accentuated by blackish fallen spores.
