Porcelain fungus - Mucidula mucida
- The Foraging Course Company
- Jun 3
- 2 min read
Edible mushroom - novice Season - late summer to early winter Common names Porcelain fungus, porcelain mushroom, slimy beech tuft, poached egg fungus
Scientific name meaning Both names are derived from the Latin mucidus, meaning mucus. This is in reference to the slimy cap surface
Habitat  Porcelain fungus is saprobic on beech wood but can sometimes be found on living trees as a weak parasite. |
Overall structure and growth  A mushroom that appears in small or large tufts from beech wood. The individual fruit bodies look like little parachutes and are slimy, particularly so when wet. Often droplets of slime are dripping off the fruit bodies. |
Cap  The white, slime-covered cap is between 2 and 8cm wide. It is semi-translucent and the gills can be seen through the cap surface. Once opened, it remains dome-shaped throughout its growth. In dry weather, the cap surface may dry to become sticky and silky. |
Gills and spores  The gills are white and semi-translucent, though can go slightly yellow with age. They are broad, have an adnate attachment, and are widely spaced. The spore colour is white. |
Stem  The skinny stem is 2 to 8cm tall and 2 to 7mm wide. It is often curved. For its size, the ring is quite substantial. The ring is white on top and grey underneath and the white stem is slightly more grey below the ring, too. |
Flesh, taste and smell  The white flesh doesn't have a discernible smell and a mild taste. |
Possible lookalikes  With its extremely slimy cap and specific beech wood growth, it would be hard to confuse this mushroom with any other. |
Use as food Edible when cooked. The slime on the caps should be removed before consumption - the slime is not considered pleasant and may cause stomach upsets Hazards None known
Use in herbal medicine and medicine None known
If you are suffering from any ailment or need medical advice, please see your General Practitioner Other uses None known Importance to other species Provides food for invertebrates
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!
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