Lyophyllum decastes - Clustered Domecap

Taxonomy

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Agaricales

Varying greatly in size and cap colour, these clump-forming mushrooms are very common in deciduous woodland and under trees in parks. Like many other members of the genus Lyophyllum, the Clustered Domecap seems to thrive on soil disturbance.

One of the old common names for this fairly common mushroom is the Fried Chicken fungus, and from the name you will guess that it is highly regarded as an edible species.

Identification Guide

Cap	4 to 10cm across; convex, usually irregular, margins often scalloped; cap peels easily; smooth, shiny; shades of grey-brown.
Gills	Adnate; crowded; very pale grey, becoming slightly ochraceous with age.
Stem	4 to 8cm long and 0.8 to 1.8cm dia.; tough; longitudinally fibrillose; usually curved, as several stems meet at the base; base usually swollen or slightly clavate; off-white to grey-brown; no ring.
Spore print	White.
Odour/taste	Not significant.
Habitat	On disturbed soil rich in leaf litter in and particularly on grassy edges of deciduous broadleaf woodland.
Season	July to November.
Occurrence	Common.
Similar species	The Clustered Domecap could be confused with many other brown-capped woodland fungi including the Cucumber Cap, Macrocystidia cucumis, which is distinguished by its unusual odour of cucumber and its cream-to-beige gills, which are free rather than being attached to the stem.