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Hypholoma sublateritium, commonly known as the Brick Cap or Reddish-brown Stropharia, is a common wood-rotting fungus belonging to the family Hymenogastraceae. It typically grows in dense clusters on dead hardwood. Its distinctive brick-red to reddish-brown cap and olive-gray to purplish-brown gills after spore maturity are key identification features. While often listed as edible after cooking, it is known to cause gastrointestinal upset in some individuals and has poisonous look-alikes, making it a species generally not recommended for consumption.
How to Identify
- Cap
- The cap is 3-10 cm (1.2-4 in) in diameter, convex to broadly convex or nearly flat with age, brick-red to reddish-brown, often paler yellowish-orange at the margin, and may have whitish veil remnants when young.
- Gills
- The gills are adnate to adnexed, close, and narrow. They are whitish to pale yellowish when young, becoming olive-gray, then purplish-brown to fuscous as spores mature.
- Stem
- The stem is 5-15 cm (2-6 in) long and 0.5-1.5 cm (0.2-0.6 in) thick, slender but firm, often curved, yellowish above and rusty brown to reddish-brown below. It usually has a prominent but thin, ephemeral ring or ring zone, sometimes tinted purplish by falling spores.
- Flesh
- The flesh is yellowish to pale brownish, soft in the cap, and fibrous in the stem. It has a mild to slightly bitter taste and a non-distinctive odor.
- Fruiting body
- The fruiting body is a mushroom, growing in dense clusters.
- Habitat
- Saprobic, growing in dense clusters on dead hardwood logs, stumps, and buried wood. Rarely found on conifers. It is common in disturbed woodlands and managed forests.
Key Facts
- Cap surfaces: Smooth to slightly scaly, often sticky when moist
- Growth Form: Cespitose (in dense clusters)
- Spore Print: Purplish-brown
- Body color: Cap: brick-red to reddish-brown; Gills: yellowish (young) to brownish-purple (mature); Stem: yellowish to rusty brown
- Odor: Mild, not distinctive
- Flesh bruises: No bruising reaction
- Height: 5-15 cm (2-6 in)
- Cap Diameter: 3-10 cm (1.2-4 in)
- Nutrient gathering: Saprobic (wood decomposer)
Safe
Mild ToxicityHypholoma sublateritium is generally considered edible after thorough cooking, but often described as having a bitter taste. However, it can cause gastrointestinal upset in some sensitive individuals, leading to nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Moreover, several poisonous look-alikes exist, notably the Deadly Galerina (Galerina marginata), making positive identification crucial and consumption risky for inexperienced foragers. Due to potential mild toxicity, bitterness, and dangerous lookalikes, it is not recommended for consumption.
Quick Check
- Odor: Indistinctive
- Fruiting: Late Summer to Fall/Early Winter
- Substrate: Dead hardwood, occasionally conifers
Where to Find
North America
Widely distributed across North America, particularly in eastern regions.
Europe
Common across much of Europe.
Asia
Reported in parts of Asia, especially temperate zones.
Finding Tips
Look on dead hardwood
Focus your search on decaying logs, stumps, and fallen branches of deciduous trees.
Search in clusters
Hypholoma sublateritium almost always grows in dense tufte-like clusters rather than solitary.
Check under bark
Sometimes, these mushrooms can emerge from under the bark of dead trees.
Seasonal timing
It fruits from late summer through fall and into early winter in many regions, often after a period of rain.
Similar Species
Sulphur Tuft
Hypholoma
Also known as: Clustered Woodlover
Conifer Tuft
Hypholoma
Also known as: Hypholoma capnoides
Deadly Galerina
Galerina
Also known as: Autumn Skullcap
Scientific Classification
- Phylum
- Basidiomycota
- Class
- Agaricomycetes
- Order
- Agaricales
- Family
- Hymenogastraceae
- Genus
- Hypholoma
Storage Information
- Max Temperature: 3°C
- Freezing duration: 6 months
- Min Temperature: 1°C
- Refrigeration: 3 days
How to Clean
If collecting for curiosity or identification, gently brush off any debris from the cap and stem. If intending to consume (not recommended), meticulously clean to remove all dirt and forest litter, and discard any insect-damaged parts.
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