Leucopaxillus giganteus
Giant Funnel
Status:
Occasional.
Leuco meaning white and paxillus is a genus containing the Brown Rollrim
Cap:
6-30cm
Stem:
4-15cm
Meaning gigantic
Description
A large mushroom which when seen growing in rings is spectacular, some mushrooms have been noted to grow up to 50cm across! The genus Leucopaxillus recognises the fact that this mushroom looks like a large white version of the Brown Rollrim (Paxillus involutus) and indeed you can see the similarities, in most stages of this mushroom the edge of the cap rolls back slightly. As this species begins to age then it can take on more of a tan colour all over and has a very dry feel to it.
Smaller specimens can look like other mushrooms when they first appear, but the sheer size, colour and habit of the larger specimens make this a relatively easy species to identify.
Smell
Not distinctive but if anything it is pleasant.
Season
Late summer to autumn. Most records are August - November.
Habitat & Distribution
Often grows in pasture near to woodland but can also be found in open woodland, hedgerows and parkland, often growing in rings. The specimens here were found growing on in a park under a conifer with wood-chip. Occasional, for such a large mushroom it is hard to think it could go under recorded, it genuinely seems a special occasion to find some, though it has been recorded over much of the UK.
Edibility
Not Edible. Authors are split on this opinion, some say edible when young, others say it can cause gastric upsets and diarrhoea, for this reason it is not recommended as an edible mushroom. Those who have eaten it have said it is not a worthwhile anyway.
Confusion Species
Spores
6-7 x 3-4ยต, amyloid and smooth.
Spore Print Colour
White.
The sheer size of these mushrooms growing in a ring should be a give away, they can look like other species in the Clitocybe family, the main two being Frosty Funnel (Clitocybe phyllophila) and Trooping Funnel (Clitocybe geotropa), but their gills are not as crowded, they are also smaller, less firm, have a faint sweet smell and are not as white. It looks similar to some of the large white Milkcaps but it does not produce milk.