Fool's Funnel - Clitocybe rivulosa
Main features
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Fruits Summer to early Winter
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Grows in rings or partial rings in grassland
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Smells sweet
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Cap white, buff or buff-grey in colour
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Cap starts off slightly convex and then flattens or develops into a shallow funnel
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White or buff thin stem with no ring
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Base of stem is often downy
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Gills are white or buff-coloured, crowded and slightly decurrent
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Spore print is white
Fool's Funnel - Clitocybe rivulosa
Deadly poisonous mushroom - intermediate identification
Other common names: False Champignon
Scientific name meaning: Clitocybe is from the Greek Klitos meaning slope. Rivulosa is from the Latin Rivulus, meaning a channel, grove or stream
Season - when will I find it? From Summer to early Winter
Habitat - where will I find it? The Fool's Funnel grows in sandy grassland or coastal dunes
Description - what does it look like?
Growth: The Fool's Funnel is a saprobic mushroom living on dead and decaying organic matter under the sward. It grows in rings and partials rings
Cap: The smooth cap starts off slightly convex before flattening out. It sometimes depresses or forms a shallow funnel. It is a white, pale buff or buff-grey colour and 1 to 6cm wide. Sometimes the margin of the cap is slightly inrolled
Gills: The white to buff gills are crowded and run slightly decurrently down the stem
Flesh: white
Stem: White or grey/buff-coloured, the stem is ringless and around 4cm tall, 0.5 to 1cm wide. The base is sometimes downy
Smell: Sweet
Spore colour: White
Possible lookalikes Could be confused with the Mousseron (Marasmius oreades), which alsogrow in rings in grassland. However, the gills of the Mousseron are adenexed or free of the stem, while the gills of the Fool's Funnel are decurrent (run down the stem). The Fool's funnel also lacks an umbo.
Looks very similar to The Ivory Funnel (Clitocybe dealbata), which is also deadly poisonous and thought to possibly be the same species
Poisonous parts All parts of this mushroom are deadly poisonous and should not be consumed
Use in herbal medicine None known
If you are suffering from any ailment or need medical advice, please see your General Practitioner
Hazards This mushroom is deadly poisonous and should not be consumed
Importance to other species Provides food for a the larvae of a number of fly species
Always stay safe when foraging. You need to be 100% sure of your identification, 100% sure that your foraged item is edible, and 100% sure that you are not allergic to it (it is good practice to always try a small amount of any new food you are consuming). If in doubt, leave it out!
