Lepiota
Also check out some of the fungal music on our site, and specifially, "Lepiota."
To see pictures of more members of this family identified, click here.
A Lepiota species with spore pictures.

Lepiota rachodes

This photo sent in by a reader was in his lawn, near woods. It is a Lepiota cristata.

Lepiota magnispora (aka Lepiota clypeolaria) is the name given to this beautiful and toxic mushroom. The cap is usually no larger than a quarter, and the dark center of the cap is characteristic. Also note the fluffy stuff on the stipe: another good indicator you have this mushroom. It is found in mature conifer woods.

Lepiota naucina likes to grow in lawns and grassy places in the summer. Some years it appears as a small and timid interloper, but if there is a big rainy season in June they may be as abundant as fairy rings. This mushroom is edible, but there are many reasons to be cautious: it looks very like a deadly poisonous species of Amanita, even positively identified material has sickened some people, and like many lawn growing mushrooms, it may uptake and concentrate Roundup or other herbicides or insecticides that have been applied to the lawn. It does stain brownish when bruised, and has a pleasant taste, but I very rarely eat it.

Lepiota rubritincta is another woodland Lepiota that has a dark "eye" in the middle of the whitish cap. In this case, the cap and stem also have red or pinkish highlights. It is not food.

Lepiota procera Katern

Lepiota eriophora
