About this fungus
Common Stump Brittlestem is a fungus in the Psathyrellaceae family. Its habitat and field characteristics are summarised below.
A dense tuft of fragile brown mushrooms on a broadleaved stump, log or buried wood. Caps in one cluster often show several shades as they dry.
What to check
Young cap margins can carry small white veil fragments, but there is no stem ring. The gills begin pale and become brown to dark purple-brown as the spores mature. Stems are white, hollow and easily broken. Exact separation from other brittlestems may require microscopy.
Variation
The hygrophanous cap is dark red-brown when moist and fades through date-brown to ochre or yellow-brown as it loses water. Crowded caps can become distorted and old veil fragments may disappear.
Lookalikes
Sheathed Woodtuft has a persistent stem ring and a scaly lower stem. Sulphur Tuft is more yellow and develops olive-green to dark gills. Other Psathyrella species often need microscopy.
Habitat and range
Saprotrophic, usually in crowded clusters on dead broadleaved stumps, logs, roots or buried wood. It is widespread in Europe and North America, with records from other temperate regions; conifer wood is reported less often.
Food safety
Edibility is uncertain or disputed.
Photographs
Jerzy Opioła / CC BY-SA 3.0
Jerzy Opioła / CC BY-SA 3.0
Lebrac / CC BY-SA 3.0Species to compare
Similar mushrooms to compare against: