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Fragrant Funnel

Inedible Inedible
Autumn Autumn
Summer Summer
Winter Winter

A small size funnel mushroom with amazing aniseed scent. Don’t be fooled, it is considered inedible, or even toxic by some.

Mushroom Type
Common Names Fragrant Funnel (EN), Twmffat / Twndish Peraroglus (CY), Lejkówka Dusząca (PL), Illatos Tölcsérgomba (HU)
Scientific Name Clitocybe fragrans
Synonyms Clitocybe suaveolens
Season Start Aug
Season End Dec
Average Mushroom height (CM) 2–6
Average Cap width (CM) 1–4
Please note that each and every mushroom you come across may vary in appearance to these photos.

Cap

1–4 cm across, white to off-white, greyish-buff in colour, but it is hygrophanous, so rather variable. Initially convex, then becoming almost flat, its centre often slightly depressed. Margin is often, but not always striated, initially inrolled.

Gills

Crowded, barely touches the stem (adnexed) to running down to the stem (decurrent). White, off-white with a really faint pinkish tint. Edge is smooth, concolorous with the rest of the gills. 

Stem

2–6 cm long, 0.2–0.5 cm diameter. Cylindrical, creamy white to pale buff; smooth or slightly fibrous.

Flesh

Thin, hygrophanous, concolorous with the cap; the stem can be hollow.

Habitat

Fruiting solitary or in smaller groups on wet and mossy spots on the soil, often close to hardwoods. In open woodlands, parklands, cemeteries, large gardens etc. Sometimes can be found almost all year long (except in the hot summer period), but mostly from late Summer/early Autumn to early Winter. Common and widespread in the UK.

Possible Confusion

Bleached specimens of Aniseed Funnel (Clitocybe odora), pictured, might look rather similar, but they are usually larger than Fragrant Funnel, and its younger specimens have a vivid blue green colour.
The toxic Fool’s Funnel (Clitocybe rivulosa, syn: Clitocybe dealbata) aka Ivory Funnel, has a somewhat sweet-aromatic smell.

Taste / Smell

Inedible or suspected toxic by some. Taste unknown, smell strong aniseed-like.

Frequency

Common.

Spores

Spore print is pale cream to orange cream. Spores are ellipsoid, smooth. Staining with Congo Red or Cresyl Blue.

Other Facts

It contains traces of muscarine, so should not be consumed!

COMMENTS

1 comment for Fragrant Funnel

  1. Christa Mac says:

    Picked one of these up today – smelled DELICIOUS, reminiscent of field blewits/ wood blewits but stronger.

    Wanted to eat, but everything I read advised against it so it sadly went in the bin

    Nothing that smells that good should be poisonous.. I feel we need more research on this !!

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