Weeping Widow - Lacrymaria lacrymabunda
Main features
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Fruits Spring Autumn
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Found as small groups
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On grassland or leaf litter
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No distinct smells
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Cap covered in red-brown hair-like fibres
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Has an umbo on cap and white veil remnant on cap margin
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Cap starts off bell-shaped and widens with age
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Cap reaches 4 to 312cm
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Pale brown fibrous stem deeper brown towards base
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Stem up of 10cm and and 0.5 - 1cm in diameter
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Very fine remains of a ring often stained with black spores
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Flesh is grey-white
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Adnexed to free crowded gills
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Gills started off yellow-brown and become dark brown and mottled black
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When moist, gills edges hold black water droplets
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Spore print is black
Weeping Widow - Lacrymaria lacrymabunda
Edible mushroom - novice
Other common names: Teardrop Mushroom
Scientific name meaning: Both parts of the name originate from the Modern Latin Lacrymaris, meaning of or pertaining to tears
Season - when will I find it? From Spring to Autumn
Habitat - where will I find it? In grassland or leaf litter
Description - what does it look like?
Growth: The Weeping Widow is spbrobic growing in grass or leaf litter. It tends to fruit in small groups or clumps
Cap: The bell-shaped cap widens with ages and is covered in red-brown/yellow brown hair-like fibres. At the edge of the cap, white remains of the partial veil often remain. It has a centre umbo (bump) and reaches 4 to 12cm in width
Gills: Starting off a yellow-brown colour, they quickly become dark brown and mottled and finally blackened. When moist, dropets of water stained with black spores hang on the gills edges. The gills are crowded and adnexed to free
Flesh: grey-white
Stem: Fragile and very pale brown, with a deeper brown colour towards the base. The surface of the stem is fibrous and includes the very fine remains of a fragile ring. Both the stem surface and ring remains become peppered with black spores.
The stem can reach 5 to 10cm tall, and is 0.5 - 1cm wide
Smell: None
Spore colour: Black
Possible lookalikes Some Panaeolus species and perhaps the Pale Brittlestem (Psathyrella candolleana), but the black teardrops would be a distinguishing feature
Use as a food Should be cooked. Not considered to be of great culinary value as it turns to mush quickly when cooked and has little flavour
Use in herbal medicine None known
If you are suffering from any ailment or need medical advice, please see your General Practitioner
Hazards This mushroom can grow on roadside grass verges where it can accumulate traffic-related toxins. It is advisable to avoid harvesting from the sides of busy roads
Importance to other species Provides food for a the larvae of a number of fly species. Worth remembering when harvesting. Younger specimens tend to have less livestock inside!
Always stay safe when foraging. You need to be 100% sure of your identification, 100% sure that your foraged item is edible, and 100% sure that you are not allergic to it (it is good practice to always try a small amount of any new food you are consuming). If in doubt, leave it out!
