A slender, fragile, pale mushroom with a finely scaly, bell-shaped cap and a stem that swells into an onion-like base. It grows on wood chips, sawdust and other woody debris outdoors, and in greenhouses and potted plants. It is the type species of Leucocoprinus.
Edibility disputed; not recommended. Some sources call it edible but unpalatable, but it is easily confused with toxic lepiotoid species, including the poisonous Leucocoprinus birnbaumii and the deadly amatoxin-containing small Lepiotas.
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Habitat
Saprobic on wood chips, bark beds, tanbark, sawdust and other woody debris, and in potted plants and greenhouses. In groups or clusters; in Texas recorded from August to November.
Distribution
Widely recorded in warm regions and in greenhouses elsewhere. Historical records from England (introduced to greenhouses), Belgium, Italy, Hungary, Brazil and Martinique. North American records come from at least Texas, Maryland and Virginia.
Characteristics
Cap: about 3-9 cm, bell-shaped to convex with a pronounced umbo, pale with fine scales, bruising yellow to brown when handled. Gills: free, crowded, white, sometimes darkening to pinkish brown with age. Stem: about 6-9 cm long, 4-10 mm thick, with a slightly bulbous base and a ring that soon disappears. Flesh: white, may turn yellow or pinkish brown. Odor: indistinct, or fruity to soapy. Spore print: white. Spores: ellipsoid, smooth, with a germ pore, dextrinoid; reported as about 7-11 x 4-7 um or 7.5-13 x 6-8 um depending on the source.
