How to identify Brown Haycap

To correctly identify Brown Haycap (Panaeolina foenisecii), 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.

   1-3 cm in diameter, initially convex to bell-shaped, expanding to broadly convex or nearly flat with age, often retaining a slight umbo. The margin is often striate when moist. It is strongly hygrophanous; when moist, it is dark reddish-brown to sepia brown, fading to buff, tan, or pale yellowish-brown from the center outwards as it dries. The surface is smooth.

2. 2

   Gills

   Attachment to stem, color, and spacing.

   Adnate to adnexed, close to crowded, initially pale brown, becoming dark brown to purplish-brown with whitish edges due to the maturing spores. They often have a mottled appearance due to the uneven maturation of spores.

3. 3

   Stem

   Length, shape, surface, and any ring.

   3-8 cm long and 1-3 mm thick, slender, cylindrical, often slightly tapering upwards, sometimes with a slightly swollen base. It is concolorous with the cap or slightly paler, often pruinose (finely powdered) at the apex, becoming smooth below. It is hollow and fragile, without a ring.

4. 4

   Flesh

   Color, texture, and bruising reaction.

   Thin, fragile, brownish, and unchanging when bruised or cut.

5. 5

   Fruiting body

   Overall growth pattern.

   Small, slender, and fragile, typically growing scattered or in small groups.

6. 6

   Habitat

   Where it grows and on what substrate.

   Saprobic, growing on decaying grass, lawns, pastures, meadows, and other grassy areas, often in fertilized soil. It can also be found in gardens, parks, and along roadsides.

Key Facts

Cap surfaces

Smooth, hygrophanous, changing color with moisture.

Growth Form

Scattered to gregarious.

Spore Print

Dark brown to purplish-brown.

Body color

Cap: Dark reddish-brown to sepia brown (moist), fading to buff, tan, or pale yellowish-brown (dry). Gills: Pale brown becoming dark purplish-brown. Stem: Concolorous with cap or paler.

Odor

Mild, indistinct.

Flesh bruises

Does not bruise or stain.

Height

3-8 cm

Cap Diameter

1-3 cm

Fruit body characteristics

• Gill attachment: Adnate to adnexed.
• Stem shape: Cylindrical, often slightly tapering upwards.
• Stem surface: Pruinose at apex, smooth below.
• Ring: Absent.
• Stem cross-section: Hollow.

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