''Infundibulicybe geotropa'', also known as the trooping funnel or monk's head, is a funnel-shaped toadstool widely found in Europe and (less commonly) in North America. A large sturdy cream- or buff-coloured funnel-shaped mushroom, it grows in mixed woodlands, often in troops or fairy rings, one of which is over half a mile wide. Although edible, it could be confused with some poisonous species of similar colouration and size.

Taxonomy and naming

French mycologist

Pierre Bulliard Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

initially described the trooping funnel as ''Agaricus geotropus'' in 1792, before

Lucien Quélet Lucien Quélet in 1869 Lucien Quélet (14 July 1832 – 25 August 1899) was a French naturalist and mycologist. Quélet discovered several species of fungi and was the founder of the Société mycologique de France, a society devoted to myco ...

renamed it ''Clitocybe geotropa'' (a name by which it was long known) in 1872. Its specific epithet derived from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

words /''gē'' "earth", and τρόπος/''tropos'' "turn". Finnish mycologist Harri Harmaja proposed ''I. geotropa'' and twelve other ''Clitocybe'' species be split off into a new genus ''Infundibulicybe'', thus the new binomial name is ''Infundibulicybe geotropa''. 2Clitocybe geotropa

Description

A cream- or buff-coloured mushroom, the cap may reach in diameter. It has a prominent boss and looks small in relation to the large stem in young specimens. As the mushroom ages, the cap changes from convex with inrolled margins to more funnel shaped. The decurrent

gills A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are ...

are the same colour as the cap. The stipe is bulbous, larger at the base and high. The

spore print 300px, Making a spore print of the mushroom ''Volvariella volvacea'' shown in composite: (photo lower half) mushroom cap laid on white and dark paper; (photo upper half) cap removed after 24 hours showing pinkish-tan spore print. A 3.5-centimeter ...

is white. There is a sweet smell, which has been likened to the odour of bitter almonds. The white flesh is firm in young specimens. It can be mistaken for the similar-coloured and also edible miller ('' Clitopilus prunulus''), but the latter species has pink spores. However, there are a number of similar white or pale mushrooms which are poisonous; young specimens of '' Entoloma sinuatum'' can be distinguished by their sinuate gills and mealy smell. The unpleasant-tasting ''

Melanoleuca grammopodia ''Melanoleuca privernensis'' is a species of fungus A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These o ...

'' is similar, but has a more pale brownish cap and musky odour.

Distribution and habitat

Trooping funnel is found in mixed woodlands, especially grassy clearings, in autumn. Often gregarious, it can form

fairy ring A fairy ring, also known as fairy circle, elf circle, elf ring or pixie ring, is a naturally occurring ring or arc of mushrooms. They are found mainly in forested areas, but also appear in grasslands or rangelands. Fairy rings are detectable by ...

s, and has a complex mycelium. It is abundant and widespread in Europe, and less common in North America. One fairy ring in

Belfort Belfort (; archaic german: Beffert/Beffort) is a city in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Northeastern France, situated between Lyon and Strasbourg, approximately from the France–Switzerland border. It is the prefecture of the Terr ...

, eastern France, has been reported at over half a mile in diameter and estimated at 800 years of age. It is thought to be the largest known

Edibility

Only young mushrooms are recommended for eating, as older ones lose their pleasant taste, and the flesh becomes leathery in consistency. The stipes of all aged specimens are generally discarded. The fungus is popular in northern Italy, where it is roasted or cooked in stews and frittatas, or preserved in oil.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1478465 Fungi of Europe Fungi of North America Fungi found in fairy rings