Conocybe apala (Milky Cone Cap)

Conocybe apala

Basidiomycota - gilled fungus

Family: Bolbitiaceae

Cap: Lightly coloured to pale tan, conical becoming campanulate (bell-shaped), translucent striate margin almost to the centre (more obvious when wet), smooth, dull, thin flesh.

Gills: Cream-coloured when immature, becoming light tan with maturity, ascending, narrowly adnate (where giils or pores are attached squarely to the stem (stipe))

Stem: Light coloured, cylindrical, smooth, hollow and brittle with a slightly swollen base. Up to 6cm x 0.3cm

Spores: Rust brown in deposit, smooth, elliptical, thick-walled with germ pore.

Habitat: Solitary to gregarious.

Season:  Late Summer to autumn

Comments:  Cosmopolitan. Widespread. Easily seen on lawns and grassy areas after rain or heavy dew in the early mornings. Decays quickly After the sun comes out. Identified by its light-coloured cap, light tan gills and delicate white stem. Used to be known as Conocybe lactea. Other Conocybe species could be confused but easy to identify to genus.

Reference: Moore, S and O'Sullivan P, 2016, A guide to the common fungi of coastal New South Wales