Conocybe apala

Description

Conocybe apala is a basidiomycete fungus and a member of Conocybe. It is a fairly common fungus, both in North America and Europe, found growing among the short green grass. Until recently, the species was also commonly called Conocybe lactea or Conocybe albipes. Another common synonym, Bolbitius albipes G.H. Otth 1871, places the fungus in the genus Bolbitius.

This transient mushroom disappears with the morning dew. The Conocybe apala grows in lawns and flower beds; prevalent in muggy weather. Small and fragile.

Common names: Dunce Cap.

Mushroom Identification

1. Ecology

   Saprobic; growing scattered or gregariously in grassy areas (lawns, meadows, pastures, and so on); summer and fall (especially common in muggy weather); widely distributed in North America.

2. Cap

   1.5–3 cm; conical when young, becoming broadly conical and droopy, sometimes with a bell-shaped center or an uplifted outer edge; dry; bald; becoming finely lined; whitish or creamy buff, sometimes with a slightly darker center.

3. Gills

   Narrowly attached to the stem; close or crowded; short-gills present; pale at first but soon cinnamon brown; often dissolving in hot, humid weather.

4. Stem

   7–10 cm long; 1–2 mm thick; extremely fragile; hollow; more or less equal above a slight basal swelling; whitish to faintly yellowish, especially near the base; bald or, on the upper portion, with scattered tiny hairs.

5. Flesh

   Insubstantial.

6. Chemical Reactions

   KOH gray to lilac gray on cap surface.

7. Spore Print

   Cinnamon brown.

History

When in 1821 the great Swedish mycologist Elias Magnus Fries described the Milky Conecap he named it Agaricus apalus.

In 2003 Dutch mycologist Eef Arnolds gave this grassland mushroom its currently-accepted scientific name Conocybe apala.

Synonyms of Conocybe apala include Conocybe lateritia, Agaricus tener Sowerby, Agaricus apalus Fr., Mycena tenera(Sowerby) Gray, Bolbitius tener (Sowerby) Berk. & Broome, Bolbitius albipes G.H. Otth, Bolbitius lacteus J.B.E. Lange, Galera apala (Fr.) Sacc., Conocybe lactea (J. E. Lange) Métrod, Galera lactea J. E. Lange, and Conocybe albipes Hauskn.

The generic name Conocybe comes from the Latin Conus meaning a cone, and cybe meaning a head - hence Conehead. Less obviously from its appearance by most apt for the fragile nature of this mushroom, the specific epithet apala comes also from Latin and means soft or tender: it is quite difficult to pick up a Milky Conecap without breaking it.

Is Conocybe apala Poisonous to Dogs?

Your dog should be fine, but be sure to scold her if you see her trying to eat anymore mushrooms.

Photo sources:

Photo 1 - Author: Byrain (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Photo 2 - Author: Fluff Berger (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Photo 3 - Author: Tony Gay 2011 (CC BY 3.0)

Photo 4 - Author: Byrain (CC BY-SA 3.0)