The Funeral Bell (Galerina marginata) is a small brown mushroom of rotting wood, and it is deadly poisonous. Its reddish-brown to yellowish-brown cap is convex, then flattens around a low bump, and it is sticky and faintly lined when wet, paling as it dries. The crowded gills are yellowish-brown, becoming rusty, and the slender stem carries a thin, fragile ring above a covering of white fibres.
It grows on decaying wood of broadleaf trees and conifers, often in small clusters, from August into December, and is widespread and common.
It contains the same deadly toxins as the Deathcap (Amanita phalloides). Its most dangerous lookalike is the edible Sheathed Woodtuft (Kuehneromyces mutabilis), which also grows in tufts on wood but has a scaly stem below the ring. Never collect small brown mushrooms from wood to eat.
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Distribution
Widespread and common.
Habitat
On decaying wood of deciduous and coniferous trees.
Etymology
Galerina is from the Latin galerum, 'cap' or 'helmet', after the shape of the cap. marginata is Latin for 'edged', after the paler cap margin.
Cap
The cap is 15-65 mm across, convex then umbonate, reddish-brown to yellowish-brown and hygrophanous, fading paler as it dries. It is viscid when wet, with a faintly striate margin.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Shape | Convex, Umbonate |
| Surface | Hygrophanous |
| Width | 15 - 65 cm |
| Margin | Striate |
Gills
The gills are moderately crowded and adnate to decurrent, with a small tooth. They are yellowish-brown to reddish-brown, paler when young, and become more rusty with age.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Attachment | Adnate, Decurrent |
Flesh
Thin and pale yellow.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Odour | Maybe slightly farinaceous |
Stem
The stem is greyish-brown, cylindric, 2-7 cm tall and 2-10 mm wide, and often curved. It is covered with white fibrils below a membranous ring, which is fragile and may vanish with age.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Height | 2 - 7 cm |
| Width | 2 - 10 mm |
| Shape | Cylindric |
Spores
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Type | Amyloid |
| Shape | Amygdaliform |
| Ornamentation | Warty |
| Size | 7.5-10.5 x 4.5-6.5 μm |
Microscopic Features
| Cheilocystidia | Lageniform, Fusiform |
|---|---|
| Pleurocystidia | Lageniform, Fusiform |
Classification
- ↳ Phylum: Basidiomycota
- ↳ Subphylum: Agaricomycotina
- ↳ Class: Agaricomycetes
- ↳ Subclass: Agaricomycetidae
- ↳ Order: Agaricales
- ↳ Family: Hymenogastraceae
- ↳ Genus: Galerina
Synonyms
- Agaricus autumnalis Peck
- Agaricus marginatus Batsch
- Agaricus unicolor Vahl
- Galera marginata (Batsch ex Secr.) Kuhn.
- Galera marginata (Batsch) P. Kumm. nom. inval.
- Galera unicolor (Vahl) anon. ined.
- Galerina autumnalis (Peck) A.H. Sm. & Singer
- Galerina marginata (Batsch ex Secr.) Kuhn.
- Galerina marginata f. unicolor (Vahl) anon. ined.
- Galerina unicolor (Vahl) Singer
- Galerina unicolor (Vahl. ex Sommerf.) Sing.
- Naucoria autumnalis (Peck) Sacc.
- Naucoria autumnalis (Peck) anon. ined.
- Pholiota marginata (Batsch ex Secr.) Quel.
- Pholiota marginata (Batsch) Quél.
- Pholiota unicolor (Vahl) Gillet
- Pholiota unicolor (Vahl. ex Sommerf.) Gillet
Reference Sources
T. Læssøe, J. H. Peterson (2019) Fungi of Temperate Europe Vol. 1. Princeton University Press.
G. Kibby (2021) Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain & Europe Vol. 3. Geoffrey Kibby.
Genus Galerina
No other species found in this genus.
