Little Brown Mushrooms (Conical Brittlestem / Trooping Bonnet)
Scientific Name: Coprinellus disseminatus (or similar Coprinoid/Mycena species)
Category: fungi
Brief Description
A dense cluster of small, pale-brown to greyish mushrooms growing directly from soil and grass roots.
Characteristics
Caps are bell-shaped to conical, radially grooved (striate), pale brownish to greyish, fading with age. Stipes are slender, fragile, and whitish. Gills are whitish turning dark grey-brown to black as spores mature.
Habitat
Found growing in dense clusters on soil, lawns, buried wood, or around decaying tree stumps.
When to Find It
Commonly appears in spring through autumn, particularly after heavy rain or in humid weather.
Conservation Status
N/A
Ecological Role
Acts as a saprotrophic decomposer, breaking down dead organic matter and returning nutrients to the soil.
Easily Confused With
Other 'little brown mushrooms' (LBMs), some of which can be highly toxic. Distinguished by the dense clustered growth habit, delicate fragile stems, and grooved caps.
Observation Tips
Look closely at lawns and wood debris after rain. Do not harvest or consume.
Interesting Facts
Many small lawn mushrooms can appear overnight in large numbers after rain due to rapid absorption of water by the underground mycelium.