About this fungus
The Goblet is a fungus in the Tricholomataceae family. Its habitat and field characteristics are summarised below.
A dark grey-brown woodland funnel with a deep central hollow, pale descending gills and a slender fibrous stem.
What to check
Confirm a hygrophan funnel cap that pales as it dries, broad pale grey gills running down the stem, and fine longitudinal fibres on the stem. Gills can have cross-veins or occasional forks, but forking is not a dependable genus test. There is no ring or volva, and microscopic confirmation includes amyloid spores.
Variation
Fresh damp caps are dark grey-brown to umber and become much paler brown as they dry. The funnel deepens as the cap expands.
Lookalikes
Pseudoclitocybe expallens, Paralepista flaccida and several Clitocybe or Infundibulicybe funnels can overlap in shape.
Habitat and range
Saprotrophic among leaf litter, moss and grass in broad-leaved, conifer and mixed woodland, and sometimes on very rotten wood. It often fruits late in the season.
Food safety
Edible.
Use this profile to learn what to examine and compare, not as proof that a mushroom is safe to eat. Check the whole specimen and every important lookalike before reaching an identification.
Photographs
Jerzy Opioła / CC BY-SA 3.0