Species details

Snapping bonnet

Mycena vitilis

Inedible
Snapping bonnet – Mycena vitilis

Photo: Garrett Taylor · CC0 · Photo source · License

Description

A small greyish bonnet with a very long, thin and flexible stem that can bend strongly without breaking.

Identification features

Cap 1–3 cm wide, conical to bell-shaped, pale grey to beige. Stem 6–10 cm or longer, only 1–2 mm thick, cartilaginous and notably flexible.

Identification checklist

Check the very long thin stem, which is unusually flexible and difficult to snap.

How to separate similar species

Many grey bonnets look similar; stem flexibility is useful but not sufficient in atypical specimens.

Habitat

Grows on small woody debris in deciduous and coniferous woodland, mainly in late summer and autumn.

Fruiting period

August, September, October, November

Similar species

Extended-description sources