How to identify Winter Funnel

To correctly identify Winter Funnel (Clitocybe brumalis), check each of these features in order. Misidentification is the most common cause of mushroom poisoning, so cross-reference multiple sources.

Step-by-step identification

1. 1

   Cap

   Shape, color, surface texture, and diameter.

   The cap of Clitocybe brumalis ranges from 2 to 6 cm in diameter. Initially convex with an inrolled margin, it soon becomes broadly umbilicate or deeply infundibuliform (funnel-shaped) with age. The margin often remains inrolled or becomes wavy. The surface is smooth, dry, and often slightly pruinose (finely powdered) when young. Color varies from grey-brown to buff, sometimes with a slightly darker center, becoming paler towards the margin. It can be somewhat hygrophanous, appearing darker when wet and fading to a lighter color when dry.

2. 2

   Gills

   Attachment to stem, color, and spacing.

   The gills are decurrent (running down the stem), crowded, and narrow. They are whitish to pale cream or greyish, sometimes developing a slightly yellowish tint with age. They are often forked near the stem.

3. 3

   Stem

   Length, shape, surface, and any ring.

   The stem is 2 to 5 cm long and 0.3 to 0.8 cm thick, cylindrical or slightly tapering towards the base, sometimes slightly swollen at the base. It is concolorous with the cap or slightly paler, often with a finely fibrillose (fibrous) surface, especially when young. The base may have white mycelial threads. It is solid when young, becoming hollow with age.

4. 4

   Flesh

   Color, texture, and bruising reaction.

   The flesh is thin, soft, and whitish to pale grey. It has a mild taste and a faint, sometimes indistinct, fungoid odor, occasionally described as slightly earthy or mealy.

5. 5

   Fruiting body

   Overall growth pattern.

   The fruiting body is a typical agaric mushroom, with a cap, gills, and a central stem. It is generally small to medium-sized.

6. 6

   Habitat

   Where it grows and on what substrate.

   Clitocybe brumalis is a saprobic fungus, growing on decaying leaf litter, conifer needles, or woody debris, often in mossy areas. It is typically found in coniferous and mixed woodlands, but can also occur in deciduous forests.

Key Facts

Cap surfaces

Smooth, dry, often pruinose when young.

Growth Form

Gregarious, scattered, or in small clusters.

Spore Print

White to pale cream.

Body color

Grey-brown to buff, paler towards the margin.

Odor

Faint, fungoid, sometimes slightly earthy or mealy.

Flesh bruises

Does not bruise.

Height

2-5 cm

Cap Diameter

2-6 cm

Fruit body characteristics

• Gill attachment: Decurrent
• Stem shape: Cylindrical, sometimes slightly tapering or with a slightly swollen base.
• Stem surface: Concolorous with cap or paler, finely fibrillose.
• Ring: Absent
• Stem cross-section: Solid when young, becoming hollow with age.

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