Funeral Bell vs Wavy Cap
Galerina marginata compared with Psilocybe cyanescens — how to tell them apart in the field.
This is a dangerous confusion.
At least one of these species is toxic. Never eat a wild mushroom based on a photo comparison alone — verify with local experts.
How to Tell Them Apart
DEADLY. This is the most dangerous possible confusion. Galerina grows on the same wood chips, at the same time, and can be the same size and color. Critical differences: Galerina has a rusty brown spore print (not purple-brown), does NOT bruise blue, and has a more persistent ring. Always check both spore print and bruising on every individual mushroom.
Side-by-Side Identification
| Trait | Funeral Bell | Wavy Cap |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | 2-5 cm across. Convex when young, flattening and developing the characteristic wavy, undulating margin with age. Caramel-brown to chestnut when moist, drying to pale buff or yellowish from the center outward (strongly hygrophanous). Surface is smooth and slightly sticky when wet. Bruises blue-green when damaged. |
| Gills | Attached to slightly decurrent. Crowded, yellowish-brown becoming rusty brown as spores mature. Edges may appear slightly lighter. | Broadly attached to the stem (adnate). Pale brown when young, darkening to dark purple-brown as spores mature. Edges often slightly lighter. Bruise blue when damaged. |
| 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. | 3-8 cm tall, 3-6 mm thick. White, often with a silky fibrous texture. Bruises strongly blue when handled. Usually has a thin, fragile partial veil that leaves a faint ring zone that catches purple-brown spores. Base often has white rhizomorphs extending into the wood chip substrate. |
| 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). | Dark purple-brown to nearly black. This separates it from the deadly Galerina marginata, which has a rusty brown spore print. |
| Odor | Mealy or flour-like when fresh. Some describe it as faintly earthy. | Farinaceous (mealy or flour-like) when fresh. |
| 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. | Saprotrophic on lignin-rich wood chips and mulch. Thrives in landscaped areas, park paths, garden borders, playgrounds, and any setting where hardwood or conifer chips have been spread. Also found on woody debris along riparian corridors. Prefers cool, moist conditions. |
| 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. | Autumn through early winter, typically October through January. Fruiting is triggered by the first cold rains after temperatures drop below 15C (60F). In the Pacific Northwest, peak season is November. Can fruit into February in mild years. |
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.