A tiny white mushroom that grows in clusters on the blackened, decaying remains of other mushrooms, especially Lactarius and Russula. Its stem arises from a small reddish-brown sclerotium shaped like an apple seed, which must be dug out to confirm identification. It is the type species of Collybia.
Inedible; too small to be of food value. He et al. (2023, Fungal Diversity) reported muscarine (about 49 mg/kg) in this species, so it should not be eaten.
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Habitat
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On decaying, often blackened mushrooms, especially Lactarius and Russula, and also on boletes, hydnums and polypores; occasionally on humus under hardwoods or conifers. Late summer and fall, or winter in warm climates. It is unclear whether it is parasitic or saprobic.
Distribution
Widely distributed in North America and Europe; also recorded from Japan.
Characteristics
Cap: 2-10 mm, convex with an inrolled margin, becoming flat with a central depression; whitish, dry or moist, mostly smooth. Gills: attached, close to nearly distant, whitish to pale pinkish. Stem: 1-5 cm long, about 1 mm thick, whitish to pinkish, becoming hollow, often finely dusted at apex or base; arising from a sclerotium. Sclerotium: reddish brown to dark reddish brown, elliptical to teardrop-shaped, 3-12 x 2-5 mm, white inside. Odor and taste: not distinctive. Spore print: white. Spores: 4-6 x 3-3.5 µm, smooth, ellipsoid, inamyloid.
