Clouded Funnel

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Clouded Funnel

Poisonous

Autumn

Winter

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The Clouded Funnel, Clitocybe nebularis. Note the cloudy look of the cap.

This tasty, common, Autumn mushroom can cause alarming gastric upsets in a number of people so we have placed it in the poisonous section.

Mushroom Type
Common Names	Clouded Funnel (EN), Clouded Agaric, Twmffat / Twndish Niwl (CY), Lejkówka Szarawa (PL), Szürke Tölcsérgomba (HU)
Scientific Name	Clitocybe nebularis
Season Start	Sep
Season End	Dec
Average Mushroom height (CM)	8-14
Average Cap width (CM)	8-12

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Please note that each and every mushroom you come across may vary in appearance to these photos.

Cap

8-12 cm. Starting convex the cap flattens and eventually forms a shallow funnel, it has inrolled edges at all stages. The colour is described as cloudy grey but is often more tan.

Gills

Running down the stem (decurrent) and crowded. Starting white but yellowing with age.

Stem

6-12 cm long, 1.5-2.5 cm diameter. Slightly bulbous at the base, off white and fibrous.

Flesh

Thick, white and quite firm.

Habitat

In rings often under coniferous trees but can also be found in deciduous woodland, grassland and hedgerows.

Possible Confusion

Can look superficially like a Wood Blewit (Lepista nuda) but does not have any of the purple or lilac colouring to the gills.

Spore Print

Cream. Ovoid, ellipsoid.

Taste / Smell

Mushroomy.

Frequency

Common.

Other Facts

This mushroom can make about 1 in 5 people quite ill but is a good edible if you are one of the lucky ones. The only way to find out is to try a small amount of mushroom and wait 24 hours to see if you have an adverse reaction.
Must be cooked before consumption.

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17 responses to “Clouded Funnel”

Pam Pedersen

November 2, 2019

Really enjoying the abundance of cloudy agaric. Fortunately we are the lucky ones.

Hugo Paiva

December 9, 2019

Já comi no ano passado e este ano também, nunca tive nenhum problema

1. Eric Biggane
  
  December 18, 2019
  
  Oi Hugo, eu posso comer esses cogumelos saborosos. Nós somos os sortudos.
  
Marcela

October 19, 2020

We found lots of them today, will try and wait till tomorrow to see how lucky we are

Will Tate

October 26, 2020

Hi, what kind of reaction are we talking?! I have loads in my local woods but if I have to spend a couple of days running to the toilet to find out if I can eat them then I might leave them be!

1. Eric Biggane
  
  October 29, 2020
  
  The reaction is being stuck on the toilet for two days if a meals worth of mushrooms are eaten.
  
2. Kimm
  
  October 27, 2021
  
  Whenever trying any new edible foraged mushroom, a small amount should be eaten the first time, if there is any bad reaction (gi upset) the reaction will be more mild than if you fill your meal with them. If there is no reaction for the next 24 hours then you will be good to eat a meal full.
  
C.A. Toledo-Merritt

October 31, 2020

I have just found them ? growing on an old stump of a weeping willow, it has spread to other areas.
I will try some and let you know the réactions if any.

1. Christa
  
  November 11, 2022
  
  Are you sure you haven’t found oysters??
  
2. AC
  
  December 17, 2023
  
  When going out looking I find more of these than anything else combined. I found all the conflicting reports so confusing. I’ve seen from Choice edible to Poisonous on this page. I eventually had to try some and I found them to be quite tasty. Despite this am still paranoid about it and find myself never picking it anymore. I tend to find blewits or other mushrooms which makes me feel like I’ve had a good enough forage. I guess I want to be at the stage where I can just pick these and happily eat all I want. I guess I should increase the dose bit by bit?
  
Aditya

June 9, 2021

Can we grow that mushroom in box ? Please somebody help me

Sally Moulden

November 11, 2021

My family and friends have eaten these mushrooms for years with no adverse effects. They are a particular favourite, particularly as they are so easy to find,and one we look forward to in late Autumn after others have finished.

1. Eric Biggane
  
  November 12, 2021
  
  They are a tasty mushroom but about 1 in 5 people have an adverse reaction to them meaning at least two days out of action stuck on the toilet.
  
Katharine Glen

December 3, 2021

Elsewhere I see this referred to as clouded funnel. Delicious, so I’m a lucky one.

Paul Dean

December 11, 2023

Found a big circle of these in pine needles. In my ignorance, I thought they were Grey Oysters at first, but they fried up lovely in butter and had no adverse effects to me or my 97 year old lady friend, although some classify them as poisonous.

John Andrew Moore

August 21, 2024

Found a fairy ring of the clouded funnel (Clitocybe Nebularis) under a conifer two years ago and after consulting dozens of online sites, books and articles it became clear that some literature goes to the extreme and calls them poisonous. I judiciously increased quantities over weeks until I tried 2 or 3 specimens mixed in with my pasta sauce. That would be about 300 grams. They were sauteed in butter, onions and garlic before adding creme. Then I mixed them into dried chili pasta, cooked for 5 minutes and served it hot. Delicious slightly nutty flavour. Very close in flavour to Lepista Nuda (Wood Blewitts) but not as intense. I’ve eaten them 4 or 5 times in quantity, thoroughly enjoying them as Wood and Field Blewitts are less common here. So, out of at least 20 people I know to have eaten this shroom, none were adversely affected. in fact at least five of us who I know personally well, enjoyed them in various dishes with me and on thier own. They may upset a small number of people but not in my circle of mushroom gatherers. 1 in 5? Hmm. Now, it might have to do with where I pick them (Austria alpine) and that we always cook them well before mixing them with different dishes. But poisonous they are not. Upset stomach perhaps. But I verified these mushrooms as Clitocybe Nebularis. Chances are likely those that report it as causing upsets may have mistaken it for a less edible mushroom, especially among less experienced foragers. Has anyone dried these for later consumption? I’m not sure how I would react to dried raw Clit/Neb. I dry quite a number of common mushrooms but I haven’t read anything about this one. Let me know if you’ve tried…

1. Eric Biggane
  
  August 22, 2024
  
  I know several people who have reacted to the Clouded Funnel and it is no small reaction. They are usually stuck on the toilet evacuating from both ends for 2-3 days with stomach cramps and high temperature thrown in. The 1 in 5 is very difficult to be accurate with due to not many people eating wild mushrooms but as we promote wild mushrooms, it would be careless of us to just let people eat them without giving them the knowledge that they could be quite ill for a number of days. I can eat plates of them with no reaction apart from a satified look on my face as I think they are very tasty.
  They dry very well but be carefull who you feed them to.