Fool’s Funnel

Poisonous Poisonous
Autumn Autumn
Summer Summer

There is now some controversy as to whether Clitocybe rivulosa and Clitocybe dealbata are close variants of the same species or separate species, with C. dealbata growing inland and C. rivulosa growing nearer the coast.

Mushroom Type
Common Names Fool's Funnel (EN), The Ivory Funnel, Twmffat / Twndish Rhychog (CY), Lejkówka Jadowita (PL), Mezei Tölcsérgomba (HU)
Scientific Name Clitocybe rivulosa
Synonyms Clitocybe dealbata
Season Start Jul
Season End Nov
Average Mushroom height (CM) 5-8
Average Cap width (CM) 3-6
Please note that each and every mushroom you come across may vary in appearance to these photos.

Cap

3-6 cm. Convex to flattening becoming depressed in the middle with a slightly inrolled edge. White and slightly dusty when young, very pale grey/brown on aging.

Gills

Gills white/cream, running down the stem (decurrent), fairly broad, becoming pinkish buff. Crowded.

Stem

4-7cm long, 0.5-1 cm diameter. White/Off-white, can have a tan blush. No skirt.

Flesh

Off white.

Habitat

Pasture, fields, lawns, beside paths and roadsides, frequently in rings or troops.

Possible Confusion

The Fairy Ring Champignon (Marasmius oreades). The gills are important for separating these two mushrooms. The gills of the Fairy Ring Champignon are free of the stem (see photo) while the gills of the Ivory Funnel are decurrent, they run down the stem.
The Miller, (Clitopilus prunulus), could also be confused with the Fools Funnel. The Miller tends to have an eccentrically positioned stem, has the raw dough smell and tends not to grow in rings although this can happen.

Spore Print

White. Ellipsoid.

Taste / Smell

No part of this mushroom should be tasted.

Frequency

Common.

Other Facts

This mushroom is DEADLY POISONOUS, it contains a lethal amount of muscarine. The antidote for muscarine poisoning is atropine.

COMMENTS

7 comments for Fool’s Funnel

  1. Andrew Kidd says:

    I think I have found this yesterday in my lawn two days ago 23 March in Kent, UK. Everything fits, but the timing. Can it appear in Spring?

    1. Poppy Ives says:

      I havent seen any in Spring but that doesn’t mean that unusual conditions couldn’t bring them out early.

  2. Stuart Wakefield says:

    I wish there was a way of sending photo’s of what we find for ID

    1. Poppy Ives says:

      Hi Stuart, you can send photos to [email protected]. If you do can you send one mushroom at a time with photos of the stem, cap and gills, attached and not embedded to the e-mail and tell us about where it was found and any smells you can detect.

  3. Neil Mahler says:

    Having been a gardener for many years I can confidently say this (C. dealbata/rivulosa) regularly appears in garden lawns as incomplete fairy rings, wobbly rings or as individuals – they can even appear as rings within rings of Marasmius oreades so extra care is needed when collecting M. oreades for the pot.

  4. Connor Patrick says:

    oh my goodness me !!! I picked one of these up in my local woodland 🤣, just reading now that it’s poison omg 😱 are they safe to touch ?

    1. Eric Biggane says:

      Touching a poisonous mushroom will do you no harm, you need to ingest the mushroom for it to have any effect.

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