Latin name: Cyclocybe cylindracea
Common name: Poplar fieldcap
Other names: Pioppino, velvet pioppini, piopparello, poplar mushroom
How to spot it and where to find it: This little-known fungus grows in large groups from stumps, cracks and decaying wood. It can also be found in the soil around dead tree roots. The cap is smooth and pale when young, cracking and darkening as it ages. The gills are crowded and run a little way down the stem where they join it. They, too, start pale and darken with age. The stem and the flesh, however, remain creamy white.
Interesting facts: The good news is that the poplar fieldcap is in season now. The bad news is that its favoured host is the black poplar, Britain’s most endangered native tree. It will,…
