Funeral Bell vs Sheathed Woodtuft
Galerina marginata compared with Kuehneromyces mutabilis — how to tell them apart in the field.
This is a dangerous confusion.
At least one of these species is potentially deadly. Never eat a wild mushroom based on a photo comparison alone — verify with local experts.
How to Tell Them Apart
Popular edible in Europe. Grows in similar clusters on wood. Key differences: Kuehneromyces has a scaly stem below the ring (Galerina's stem is smooth or silky), and the cap dries from the center in a distinctive two-tone pattern. However, the two can grow side by side on the same log — expert-level identification only.
DEADLY. Smooth or fibrous stem below the ring (no scales). Cap dries from edge inward (opposite pattern). Spores warty and larger (8-12 µm vs smooth 5.5-7.5 µm). Cap turns red with KOH. Often on conifer wood. Contains lethal amatoxins — even a single cap can be fatal.
Side-by-Side Identification
| Trait | Funeral Bell | Sheathed Woodtuft |
|---|---|---|
| Cap | 1.5-5 cm across. Convex when young, flattening with age. Honey-brown to tawny when moist, drying to a pale tan from the center outward (hygrophanous). Smooth, slightly sticky when wet. Margin often shows faint striations when moist. | 3-8 cm diameter. Convex becoming flat with a low umbo. Strongly hygrophanous — cinnamon-brown when wet, drying to pale buff from the center outward, creating a two-toned dark-rimmed appearance. Surface smooth, slightly greasy when moist. |
| Gills | Attached to slightly decurrent. Crowded, yellowish-brown becoming rusty brown as spores mature. Edges may appear slightly lighter. | Adnate to slightly decurrent. Medium-spaced, 2-4 mm broad. Pallid when young, maturing to cinnamon-brown. |
| Stem | 3-8 cm tall, 3-8 mm thick. Pale above the ring, darker brown below. Has a fragile, membranous ring (annulus) that often darkens with deposited spores. Base may have whitish mycelial threads. | 5-10 cm tall, 5-10 mm thick. Tough, fibrous, with a prominent membranous ring. Above ring: pale cream, smooth. Below ring: covered in distinctive dark brown recurved scales (the 'sheath' — key diagnostic feature). This scaly lower stem separates it from the smooth-stemmed deadly Galerina marginata. |
| Spore print | Rusty brown to orange-brown — a critical identification feature that separates it from Psilocybe species (which have purple-brown to black spore prints). | Reddish-ochre to dark cinnamon-brown. |
| Odor | Mealy or flour-like when fresh. Some describe it as faintly earthy. | Pleasant, mild mushroom smell. Taste mild and nutty. |
| Habitat | Strictly saprotrophic — feeds on dead and decaying wood. Found on logs, stumps, buried roots, and wood chip mulch. Prefers conifer wood but also appears on hardwoods. Common in forests, parks, gardens, and landscaped areas with wood chip beds. | Saprobic on dead wood of broad-leaved trees, especially beech (Fagus), birch (Betula), and alder (Alnus). Grows on stumps, fallen logs, and buried roots. Rarely on coniferous wood. Always in dense clusters. Causes white rot in dead wood. |
| Season | Fruits from spring through late autumn, with peak fruiting in September-November in temperate regions. Can appear year-round in mild, wet climates like the Pacific Northwest. | Late spring through autumn (April to November), with peak fruiting in summer and early autumn. Can fruit year-round where conditions are mild. |
Found one of these in the wild? Don't rely on memory — identify it from a photo with Orangutany and check it against both species before you touch it.