Earthy Powdercap - Cystoderma amianthinum

Description

A small fungus, with cap colour that varies from pale buff-yellow to tan or darker reddish brown.  The cap has a fine granular surface and may become radially wrinkled with age.  There is a marked contrast between the smoothness of stipe above the ring and the scaliness below.  Spore print white or pale cream.

Identification difficulty
Recording advice

Photograph from top down and from side; note habitat

Habitat

Short grasslands, e.g pasture, churchyards, cemeteries; often in unimproved grassland with waxcaps and Entoloma

When to see it

Autumn

UK Status

Fairly frequent and widespread in Britain

VC55 Status

Occasional in Leicestershire and Rutland.

Further Information

This species is no longer assigned to a family on the NBN.  We have kept it in Agaricaceae because some sources still place it here.

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Species profile

Common names
Earthy Powdercap
Species group:
Fungi
Kingdom:
Fungi
Order:
Agaricales
Family:
Agaricaceae
Records on NatureSpot:
21
First record:
02/10/2005 (Nicholls, David)
Last record:
27/10/2025 (McLoughlin, Margaret)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

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