About this fungus
White Dapperling is a fungus in the Agaricaceae family. Its habitat and field characteristics are summarised below.
A smooth white to cream mushroom of lawns and other grassy ground, with free pale gills, a slender ringed stem and no volva.
What to check
Excavate the whole stem base rather than cutting it off. White Dapperling has no sack, cup or layered volva, although the base may be slightly swollen. Gills are free and remain white to pale flesh-pink, the spore print is white, and a thin ring may be lost with age.
Variation
Caps begin white and can develop cream, ochre or faint flesh-coloured tones as they age or dry. The ring is fragile and an old specimen may appear ringless.
Lookalikes
Deadly white Amanita can look very similar and have a volva at the fully exposed stem base, but damaged or buried volvas can be missed. Field Mushrooms develop pink then dark chocolate-brown gills and a dark spore print. Because a single missing feature can be misread, an uncertain white-gilled mushroom should remain unidentified.
Habitat and range
Saprotrophic in pasture, lawns, gardens, parks and roadside grass, usually scattered or in small groups. It is widespread across temperate regions and is more typical of open ground than woodland.
Food safety
Inedible.
Photographs
walt sturgeon (Mycowalt) / CC BY-SA 3.0