General Information: An easily recognisable fungus because of its graceful stature, thin, funnel-shaped pinkish buff cap and tear-drop-shaped spores. Several Clitocybe species grow in woodlands, many of them appearing later in the season when colourful agarics are rarer.
The genus Clitocybe is characterised by the fleshy cap with incurved margin when young, fibrous, fleshy stem and decurrent gills. C. clavipes (Fries) Kummer has a smoky brown, top-shaped cap, fragile stem which also has a distinct swelling at its base, and strong rather unpleasant smell. C. nebularis (Fries) Kummer is similar, but is pale cloudy grey, has a less fragile stem and a fairly pleasant smell. This species if often covered in a bloom which develops further as the fruit-body deteriorates. The agaric Volvariella surrecta (Knapp) Singer is a rare parasite of C. nebularis (see [p. 247]) and it has been suggested that this bloom may in fact belong to this species. However, I have on several occasions tried to encourage the bloom to reproduce by keeping hoary looking fruit-bodies of C. nebularis in a damp-chamber, but as yet I have never been successful.
Nevertheless, it is an exercise which would be of great interest to continue and a source of great excitement if the small pink-spored agaric were produced. C. fragrans (Fries) Kummer is a small, sweetly aromatic-smelling species found in frondose woods, and C. langei Hora, is a mealy-smelling species of conifer plantations.
Illustrations: F 16a; Hvass 55; LH 95; WD 162.
Plate 19. Fleshy fungi: Spores white and borne on gills
![[Larger illustration]](#467779198995390083_illo081lg.png.id-1075662920119298246.wrap-0.html.html){kind=link}
Hebeloma crustuliniforme (St Amans) Quélet Fairy-cake mushroom
Cap: width 40-80 mm. Stem: width 8-12 mm; length 38-85 mm.
Description: