The Dung Brownie (Deconica coprophila) is a small, reddish-brown mushroom that grows on the dung of cattle, horses, sheep and deer. Its sticky little cap is only a couple of centimetres across, rounded with a low boss, and often has flecks of white veil at the edge when young. The gills turn from greyish to dark purple-brown as the spores mature, and the thin brownish stem has no lasting ring.
It fruits from late spring into late autumn. Despite its former name, Psilocybe coprophila, it does not contain psilocybin and does not bruise blue, which separates it from the true magic mushrooms such as the Liberty Cap (Psilocybe semilanceata). Other dung-loving Deconica species can need a microscope to tell apart. It is not edible.
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Distribution
Widespread and frequent
Habitat
On herbivore dung
Etymology
coprophila is Greek for 'dung-loving', from kopros, 'dung', and philos, 'loving'.
Cap
The cap is 0.5-2.5 cm across, convex and reddish-brown, with a striate margin when moist. The surface is sticky and fades as it dries, and flecks of white veil remain at the margin.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Shape | Convex |
| Surface | Viscid |
| Width | 0.5 - 2.5 cm |
| Margin | Striate |
Gills
Broad and fairly widely spaced; greyish at first, becoming purple-brown with paler edges.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Attachment | Adnate |
| Spacing | subdistant |
Flesh
The flesh is fibrous and yellowish-brown, and thin in the cap. It has a slightly farinaceous smell and taste, like fresh meal, and does not stain blue when cut or bruised.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Odour | Slightly farinaceous |
| Taste | Slightly farinaceous |
Stem
Thin and brownish with fine white fibres; any ring is short-lived. Does not bruise blue.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Height | 1 - 4 cm |
| Width | 0.5 - 3 mm |
| Texture | Fibrillose |
| Shape | Cylindric |
Spores
The spores are smooth, purplish-brown, 10-14 x 6-9 μm, hexagonal in face view and ellipsoid in side view, with a germ pore.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Shape | Ellipsoid |
| Ornamentation | Smooth |
| Size | 10-14 x 6-9 μm |
Microscopic Features
| Cheilocystidia | Lageniform |
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Classification
- ↳ Phylum: Basidiomycota
- ↳ Subphylum: Agaricomycotina
- ↳ Class: Agaricomycetes
- ↳ Subclass: Agaricomycetidae
- ↳ Order: Agaricales
- ↳ Family: Strophariaceae
- ↳ Genus: Deconica
Synonyms
- Agaricus coprophilus Bull.
- Deconica coprophila (Bull. ex Fr.) Karst.
- Dung Brownie Vernacular, English
- Geophila coprophila (Bull.) Quél.
- Geophila coprophila (Bull.) anon. ined.
- Psilocybe coprophila (Bull. ex Fr.) P. Kumm.
- Psilocybe coprophila (Bull.) P. Kumm.
- Stropharia coprophila (Bull. ex Fr.) J. Lange
Reference Sources
T. Læssøe, J. H. Peterson (2019) Fungi of Temperate Europe Vol. 1. Princeton University Press.
E. Wood, J. Dunkelman (2025) Grassland Fungi A Field Guide. Monmouthshire Meadows Group.
G. Kibby (2021) Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain & Europe Vol. 3. Geoffrey Kibby.
Genus Deconica
No other species found in this genus.
