Edible
Fairy Ring Mushroom
Marasmius oreades
The fairy ring mushroom is tan rather than white, with widely spaced gills that do not run down the stem and a tough, wiry stem that twists without snapping.
Fool's Funnel
Clitocybe rivulosa
Toxic lookalike
Also called sweating mushroom, ivory funnel, clitocybe dealbata.
Fool's funnel is a small white mushroom of lawns and pastures that grows in rings, sometimes right among fairy ring mushrooms. It contains muscarine and is a known cause of poisoning in people and dogs.
Clitocybe rivulosa
Photo coming
The tell
Small white to buff caps in grass, with crowded gills that run down a short stem.
Field marks
What to look at
Cap, underside and stem show in a photo. The spore print does not, and it is often the deciding check.
- Cap
- Flat to slightly depressed, 0.75 to 2 inches across. White to buff or pinkish buff, with a whitish frosted bloom and sometimes faint concentric zones or cracks. Edge inrolled when young.
- Underside
- Gills running down the stem and crowded. White to buff.
- Stem
- Short, white to buff, smooth to slightly fibrous. No ring.
- Flesh
- Thin and white. Smell mild or slightly mealy.
- Spore print
- White.
- Size
- Cap 0.75 to 2 inches (2 to 5 cm); stem 0.75 to 1.5 inches (2 to 4 cm) tall.
Where and when
Where and when it grows
- Habitat
- Lawns, pastures, meadows and grassy areas, often in rings or arcs.
- Grows on
- Soil and grass thatch.
- Season
- Summer through fall.
- Range
- Throughout North America, where it has long been recorded under the name Clitocybe dealbata.
Lookalikes
What the fool's funnel gets confused with
Each card says how to tell the two apart.
ToxicWhite Fibercap
Inocybe geophylla
The white fibercap has a silky, conical cap, gills that turn grayish brown, and a brown spore print. It grows in woods rather than open lawn and also contains muscarine.
The miller (Clitopilus prunulus)
The miller has a similar white cap and running gills, but it smells strongly of fresh meal or cucumber, its gills turn pinkish, and its spore print is pink.
EdibleMeadow Mushroom
Agaricus campestris
The meadow mushroom has free gills that turn from pink to chocolate brown, a ring on the stem, and a chocolate brown spore print.
Edibility
What the field guides say
Toxic lookalike
Field guides list fool's funnel as poisonous. It contains muscarine, which causes heavy sweating, salivation, tears, blurred vision, slowed heartbeat and gastrointestinal upset, usually starting 15 to 30 minutes after ingestion. Hospitals treat severe cases with atropine. Deaths are rare in healthy adults.
This page states what field guides record. It is not advice to eat, taste or handle anything, and a photo cannot settle edibility. If someone has eaten a wild mushroom that may be toxic, call poison control (1-800-222-1222 in the US) right away, before symptoms start: the deadliest species act hours later.
FAQ
Questions about the fool's funnel
Is fool's funnel poisonous?
Yes. It contains muscarine, which causes sweating, salivation, tears, blurred vision, slowed heartbeat and stomach upset within about half an hour. Poisonings have been recorded in both people and dogs.
What does fool's funnel look like?
A small white to buff mushroom up to 2 inches across, with a frosted-looking cap that is flat or slightly sunken, crowded white gills that run down a short stem, and a white spore print. It grows in grass, often in rings.
Why is it called fool's funnel?
It grows in the same lawns as the fairy ring mushroom, sometimes in the same rings, and has been mistaken for it. Funnel refers to the Clitocybe shape, with gills running down the stem.
Sources
Where these facts come from
- Clitocybe rivulosa
MykoWeb, California Fungi
- Clitocybe rivulosa
Index Fungorum
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