Cuphophyllus virgineus

The fruitbody is a mushroom, with a cap atop a central stem. It is white overall, but may become cream to yellowish with age. The caps are smooth and dry, convex when young but flatten with age and often become slightly funnel-shaped. Mature caps range from 1 to 4 centimetres in diameter and the margins may be a little translucent and striate. The gills run a little way down the stem (described technically as decurrent). The stem is smooth, tapers a little towards the base and may measure up to 50 x 5 millimetres.

There is neither a partial nor a universal veil.

The mushrooms are found on soil in a variety of habitats.

This cosmopolitan species was formerly known as Hygrocybe virginea.

Look-alikes

This is likely to be a fairly distinctive species when still white, especially when funnel-like. Hygrocybe rodwayi is another dry, all-white species, of similar size to Cuphophyllus virgineus, but the cap is very finely velvety and without any translucent, striate margin (and the two species differ in their spores). Small, white mushrooms of the genus Mycena (or of Mycena-like genera) are common but grow on wood or on leaf litter. Mushrooms of the Omphalina-like genera have pronounced radial striations.