15th September 2017, Knole Park, Sevenoaks

So, an early Autumn trip to Knole Park with high hopes…, soon sadly dashed. Very few mushrooms were in evidence. Quite often I only found a single specimen (e.g. a probable Meadow Waxcap), which generally isn’t sufficient for identification purposes.

But even so, found two species that I’ve not encountered before: Orange Mosscap, which is very common, so surprised I’ve not seen it before. And Zoned Rosette which was quite nice – I hoped they might be Cauliflower Funguses at first, but they were definitely much too tough and leathery to be those.

The best find was Macrolepiota rhacodes. I spotted them from afar, across the meadow, and saw straight away that they must be one of the parasols. They formed a large ring, which I’ve not seen with Parasols before. I took a few home to eat for breakfast on Saturday and Sunday.


1. Matt Bolete (Xerocomus pruinatus).
Growing in grass parkland, some distance from broad leaf trees. Two. Cap 3.5-4cm. Stem 5.5cm. Smell not distinctive; earthy and pleasant. Flesh gradually turning a bit blue when cut. ID is almost sure. Sporeprint Dark brown. Spores 9.5-11.5µ x 3.5-5µ.

2. Unidentified.
Growing on moss/grass not far from oak tree. Several groups. Cap 3-7cm. Stem 5cm. Smell faint and a bit mushroomy. Woolly foot seemingly attached to moss. I think this may be a type of Webcap but they're very hard to identify. Spores 10-13µ x 3-5.5µ.

3. Orange Mosscap (Rickenella fibula).
Growing in moss. Groups dotted around. Cap 5-10mm. Stem 3cm. Not big enough to detect a smell. Spores 5-6.5µ x 3-4µ.

4. Common Funnel (Clitocybe gibba).
Growing in leaf litter near beech tree. Several scattered around. Cap 4-7cm. Smell fungusy. ID is very likely. Spores 5-6.5µ x 4-5µ.

5. Zoned Rosette (Podoscypha multizonata).
Growing close to a large oak tree. Four around one tree. 15cm across, 8cm high. Smell fungusy. Firmly attached to ground. Spores 4.5-5.5µ x 4-5µ.

6. White False Deathcap (Amanita citrina).
Growing in leaf litter of oak, beech and pine. One. Cap 5.5cm, stem 6cm. Smell faint; raw potato? Not poisonous, but hardly recommended! ID is almost sure. Sporeprint White. Spores 6.5-8.5µ x 6-8µ.

7. Macrolepiota rhacodes.
Growing in grass parkland. Twenty or more in a large group looking almost like a ring. Cap up to 19cm. Took home lots to eat. Mild pleasant flavour. Could be another of the parasols but looks most like M.rhacodes and the spore size is right for this. The book says they grow on rich soil but I've only found them in grass. Eaten. ID is almost sure. Sporeprint White. Spores 11.5-14µ x 8-10µ.