The Orange Mosscap (Rickenella fibula) is a tiny, bright orange mushroom that you will only find by getting down on your knees in moss. The cap is often less than a centimetre across, with a small dip at the centre, and so thin that the gill lines show through at the edge. The pale yellow gills are widely spaced and run down the stem, and the hair-thin orange stem is finely downy.
It grows among moss in lawns, meadows and woodland from June into November. Although it looks like an ordinary gilled mushroom, DNA studies show it is more closely related to some brackets and crust fungi.
The Collared Mosscap (Rickenella swartzii) is the same shape but has a dark violet-brown centre to its cap. The Orange Bonnet (Mycena acicula) grows on woody debris, and its gills do not run down the stem. The Orange Mosscap is far too small to eat.
| Season | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
|
Distribution
Widely distributed and very common
Habitat
In mossy lawns, meadows and woodlands
Etymology
Rickenella honours the German mycologist Adalbert Ricken (1851-1921). fibula is Latin for a 'brooch' or 'pin', perhaps after its slender, pin-like shape.
Cap
Orange to orange-yellow, translucent and lined at the edge, with a small central dip.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Shape | Convex, Depressed |
| Surface | Smooth |
| Width | 0.3 - 2 cm |
| Margin | Striate |
Gills
Pale yellow, widely spaced and running well down the stem.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Attachment | Decurrent |
| Spacing | distant |
Flesh
Very thin and pale yellow.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Odour | Not distinctive |
| Taste | Mild |
Stem
Very slender, orange-yellow and covered in fine downy hairs.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Height | 1 - 5 cm |
| Width | 0.5 - 1.5 mm |
| Texture | Pubescent |
| Shape | Cylindric |
Spores
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Shape | Ellipsoid, Cylindric |
| Ornamentation | Smooth |
| Size | 5.5-7 x 2-3 μm |
Microscopic Features
| Cheilocystidia | Capitate, Lageniform, Fusiform |
|---|
Classification
- ↳ Phylum: Basidiomycota
- ↳ Subphylum: Agaricomycotina
- ↳ Class: Agaricomycetes
- ↳ Subclass: Agaricomycetidae
- ↳ Order: Hymenochaetales
- ↳ Family: Rickenellaceae
- ↳ Genus: Rickenella
Synonyms
- Agaricus fibula Bull.
- Agaricus nivalis Vahl
- Gerronema fibula (Bull. ex Fr.) Sing.
- Gerronema fibula (Bull.) Singer
- Hemimycena fibula (Bull. ex Fr.) Sing.
- Hemimycena fibula (Bull.) Singer
- Marasmiellus fibula (Bull. ex Fr.) Sing.
- Marasmiellus fibula (Bull.) Singer
- Micromphale fibula (Bull.) Gray
- Micromphale fibulare (Bull.) Gray
- Mycena fibula
- Mycena fibula (Bull.) Kühner
- Omphalia fibula
- Omphalia fibula (Bull.) P. Kumm.
- Omphalia fibula var. candida
- Omphalia fibula var. nivalis
- Omphalia fibula var. nivalis (Vahl) Rea
- Omphalina fibula (Bull.) Quel.
- Omphalina fibula (Bull.) Quél.
- Rickenella fibula (Bull. ex Fr.) Raith
Reference Sources
T. Læssøe, J. H. Peterson (2019) Fungi of Temperate Europe Vol. 1. Princeton University Press.
G. Kibby (2020) Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain & Europe Vol. 2. Geoffrey Kibby.
Genus Rickenella
No other species found in this genus.
