Girdled Dapperling

Girdled Dapperling Lepiota boudieri Bres. (illustrated 55% life size) Cap 2–5cm across, umbonate; deep ochre to orange-brown with darker brown centre; almost smooth at first, then covered in adpressed fibrils, which do not disrupt into distinct scales. Stem 30–60×3–6mm; whitish at the apex; covered in brownish, cottony velar remains below the ring zone. Flesh white in cap, brownish in stem; smell strong and fungusy. Gills free; whitish, sometimes with a yellow tinge. Spores 8–9×3.5–4.5¼, bullet-shaped; dextrinoid. Spore print white. Cap surface formed of elongated, obtuse, thin-walled, brown hairs; when mounted in water these can be seen to contain pigment granules in the ‘sap’, but these dissolve instantly in the presence of alkali. Habitat in damp woods, especially under hazel; autumn. Occasional. Unknown edibility.