Clitocybe nebularis

Clitocybe nebularis, commonly called the Clouded Funnel Cap, is often found growing in rings in pine forests. This large mushroom also grows in deciduous woods and beneath hedgerows.

Once considered edible, this mushroom is now suspect and is probably best avoided when gathering fungi to eat.

Also recorded as Lepista nebularis (Batsch : Fr.) Harmaja, this large mushroom is commonly referred to as the Clouded Agaric or the Clouded Funnel Cap.

It is common to see large rings of Clitocybe nebularis in coniferous woods - a trait this species shares with its close relative Lepista nuda, the Wood Blewit.

Cap	Convex or conical at first, the caps of this large mushroom take up to a month to expand fully. Eventually they flatten out and often become slightly funnel-shaped with a wavy margin. When fully expanded the caps range from 6 to 20 cm in diameter and are grey, often with a cloud-like pattern in the central region. The surface is often covered with a pale felt-like bloom.
Gills	White becoming pale cream with age, the crowded gills are adnate or slightly decurrent to the stem.
Stipe	2 to 3 cm in diameter and with a swollen base, the solid stem is 6 to 12 cm tall, smooth and paler than the cap.
Spore print	Pale buff.
Odour/taste	Sweet fruity smell (although some people detect an odour of turnip); no distinctive taste.
Habitat	In broad-leaf and coniferous woodland and beneath hedgerows.
Season	August to early December.
Occurrence	Very common.
Similar species	Lepista nuda, the Wood Blewit, is similar but has pale lilac sinuate gills.

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Clitocybe nebularis

Cap

Gills

Stipe

Spore print

Odour/taste

Habitat

Season

Occurrence

Similar species