Hebeloma crustuliniforme, commonly known as poison pie or fairy cakes, is a gilled mushroom

Agaric

An agaric is a type of fungal fruiting body characterized by the presence of a pileus that is clearly differentiated from the stipe , with lamellae on the underside of the pileus. "Agaric" can also refer to a basidiomycete species characterized by an agaric-type fruiting body...

 of the genus Hebeloma

Hebeloma

Hebeloma is a genus of fungi. Found worldwide, it contains the poison pie or fairy cakes and the ghoul fungus Hebeloma is a genus of fungi. Found worldwide, it contains the poison pie or fairy cakes (Hebeloma crustuliniforme) and the ghoul fungus Hebeloma is a genus of fungi. Found worldwide, it...

found in Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 and North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

, and has been introduced into Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. Its specific name derives from the Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 crustulum or little biscuit. It is moderately poisonous.

Description

The buff

Buff (colour)

Buff is a pale yellow-brown colour that got its name from the colour of buff leather.Displayed on the right is the colour buff.EtymologyAccording to the Oxford English Dictionary, buff as a descriptor of a colour was first used in the London Gazette of 1686, describing a uniform to be "A Red Coat...

 to pale tan cap

Pileus (mycology)

The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...

 is 4-10 cm in diameter, convex then umbonate with an inrolled cap margin until old. The gills are pale grey-brown and exude droplets in moist conditions. The stipe is 4-7 cm high and bears no ring, while the thick flesh is white. The fungus has a radish

Radish

The radish is an edible root vegetable of the Brassicaceae family that was domesticated in Europe, in pre-Roman times. They are grown and consumed throughout the world. Radishes have numerous varieties, varying in size, color and duration of required cultivation time...

-like smell and bitter taste.

Distribution and habitat

A common mushroom, Hebeloma crustuliniforme can be found in open woodland and heathland in summer and autumn, though may extend through winter in places with milder winters such as California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

.

Toxicity

This fungus is poisonous, the symptoms being those of a severe gastrointestinal nature, namely vomiting, diarrhea and colic

Colic

Colic is a form of pain which starts and stops abruptly. Types include:*Baby colic, a condition, usually in infants, characterized by incessant crying*Renal colic, a pain in the flank, characteristic of kidney stones...

ky abdominal pain several hours after consumption. As yet, the toxic agents have not been identified.