Unlike the name suggests the Weeping Widow is not a poisonous mushroom but has a bitter taste making it rather inedible.
The ‘weeping’ seems to refer to the droplets of water, usually blackened by the spores, that drip from the edges of the cap.
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Weeping Widow
(23 votes, average: 3.26 out of 5)
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Weeping Widow
| Mushroom Type | |
| Common Names | Weeping Widow (EN), Dagrau’r Weddw (CY), Kruchawica Aksamitna (PL), Könnyező Szálkásgomba (HU) |
| Scientific Name | Lacrymaria lacrymabunda |
| Season Start | Jun |
| Season End | Nov |
| Average Mushroom height (CM) | 5-12 |
| Average Cap width (CM) | 4-12 |
Please note that each and every mushroom you come across may vary in appearance to these photos.
Cap
4-12 cm. At first bell shaped then flattening out but retaining an umbo. Tan-ochre with yellow and red-brown hints. The cap has a fibrous-wooly appearance with the fibres running from the centre of the cap to the edges where they can hang and give the edge of the cap a woolly fringe that can be stained black by the spores and can ‘weep’ droplets of water.
Gills
Initially covered in a cobweb like veil the gills start yellow-brown then turn dark brown-purple with a light edge turning black with the release of spores. Mainly joined to the stem or rising and then running down the stem slightly (adnate- sinuate). Quite crowded.
Stem
5-12 cm long, 0.5-1.5 cm diameter. Shaggy with small scales. White/off white with a dark/black ring zone near the top.
Skirt
Has ring zone where the veil breaks away rather than a skirt. This can become blackened by the spores.
Flesh
Cream-brown.
Habitat
Mainly in grassland, grass verges or woodland glades.
Possible Confusion
A distinctive mushroom.
Spore Print
Black. Ellipsoid.
Taste / Smell
Bitter. Should be cooked before consumption.
Frequency
Common.
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