Species details
Grey funnel
Clitocybe metachroa
Inedible
Photo: Jerzy Opioła · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo source · License
Description
A small grey funnel whose cap changes shade strongly with moisture; it can fruit abundantly in spruce litter late in the season.
Identification features
The cap is grey to grey-brown, much paler when dry and striate at the margin. Gills are pale grey and slightly decurrent. The stem is thin and grey-brown.
Identification checklist
Important clues are the hygrophanous grey colour, striate margin, small size and spruce-litter habitat. Small grey funnels are a difficult group.
Detailed features
- Cap
- The cap is grey to grey-brown, much paler when dry and striate at the margin.
- Hymenophore
- Gills are pale grey and slightly decurrent.
- Stem
- The stem is thin and grey-brown.
Habitat
Grows mainly in conifer litter, especially under spruce, often in large groups, in autumn and early winter.
Fruiting period
September, October, November, December
Ecology
- Host trees
- Spruce (Picea)
- Notes
- Grows mainly in conifer litter, especially under spruce, often in large groups, in autumn and early winter.
How to separate similar species
Several small funnels look very similar macroscopically, and some are poisonous. A photograph alone is not enough for safe food identification.