Community find

Clustered Bonnet, Trooping Funnel

Mycena inclinata

Group

gilled mushroom

Season

Predominantly found in late summer and autumn, often continuing into early winter in milder climates.

Habitat

Typically grows in dense clusters on decaying hardwood, especially oak, stumps, logs, and buried wood. It is a saprophytic species.

Key characteristics

Caps are typically 1-4 cm in diameter, bell-shaped to conical when young, flattening with age, often with a central umbo. Color varies from grayish-brown to yellowish-brown, often paler at the margin. Gills are adnate to nearly free, close, and white to grayish. Stems are 3-10 cm long, slender, tough, often reddish-brown at the base and paler above, sometimes with fine hairs or fibrils. The base of the stem is typically dark brown or reddish-brown and woolly. Spore print is white.

Look-alikes

Other Mycena species, many of which are difficult to distinguish without microscopic examination. Mycena galericulata (Rosy Bonnet) is similar but typically grows on conifer wood and has a more prominent umbo and often different gill attachment. Mycena haematopus (Bleeding Mycena) exudes a reddish juice when cut. Distinguishing features for Mycena inclinata include its clustered growth on hardwood, particularly oak, and the reddish-brown, hairy base of the stipe.

Ecological role

This mushroom is a saprophyte, playing a crucial role in breaking down dead hardwood, particularly oak. It recycles nutrients back into the ecosystem, contributing to soil health and forest decomposition processes.