How to identify Conifer Cone Cap

To correctly identify Conifer Cone Cap (Strobilurus tenacellus), 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, convex to broadly convex, often with a central umbo (a small, nipple-like bump). The surface is smooth, sometimes slightly radially striate when moist, and can be whitish, pale yellowish-brown, or grayish-brown, often darker towards the center. It becomes paler with age and when dry.

2. 2

   Gills

   Attachment to stem, color, and spacing.

   Adnexed to almost free, crowded, narrow, and white to cream-colored. They may develop a slightly yellowish tint with age.

3. 3

   Stem

   Length, shape, surface, and any ring.

   3-8 cm long and 1-3 mm thick, slender, cylindrical, and often slightly tapering towards the apex. It is tough, cartilaginous, and typically whitish to pale brownish, often darker towards the base. The base is usually deeply rooted in the substrate, attaching to a buried conifer cone. It lacks a ring.

4. 4

   Flesh

   Color, texture, and bruising reaction.

   Thin, whitish, and rather tough in the stem.

5. 5

   Fruiting body

   Overall growth pattern.

   Small, delicate agaric, typically growing solitary or in small groups directly from buried conifer cones.

6. 6

   Habitat

   Where it grows and on what substrate.

   Saprobic, growing exclusively on buried or partially buried conifer cones, primarily spruce (Picea spp.) and pine (Pinus spp.). It is found in coniferous and mixed forests.

Key Facts

Cap surfaces

Smooth, sometimes radially striate when moist.

Growth Form

Solitary to gregarious.

Spore Print

White.

Body color

Cap whitish to pale yellowish-brown; gills white; stem whitish to pale brownish.

Odor

Mild, indistinct.

Flesh bruises

Does not bruise.

Height

3-8 cm

Cap Diameter

1-3 cm

Fruit body characteristics

• Gill attachment: Adnexed to almost free.
• Stem shape: Cylindrical, often slightly tapering towards the apex.
• Stem surface: Smooth, tough, cartilaginous.
• Ring: Absent.
• Stem cross-section: Solid.

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