An edible mushroom when cooked, found on wood worldwide throughout the year. It earned its common name from the velvety texture of its stem. Though it has poisonous look-alikes, these can be easily distinguished with knowledge of the key identifying features.
The cap is 2-6 cm (0.8-2.4 in) in diameter, sometimes up to 10 cm (4 in). Initially convex with an inward-curved edge, it flattens over time, sometimes developing a small central bump. Often irregular in shape, it adapts to tightly packed neighboring fruiting bodies. The surface is smooth and shiny, becoming sticky when moist. Its color ranges from yellow and honey-toned to bright orange and brown, with edges typically lighter than the center.
The gills are attached to the stem, either broadly or narrowly (adnate to emarginate). They are relatively spaced apart, with some shortened gills among them. The edges may be uneven. Initially white, they gradually turn pale yellow.
The stem is firm, cylindrical or tapering toward the base. It measures 2 to 7 cm (0.8-2.8 inches) in height and 0.3 to 1 cm (0.1-0.4 inches) in diameter. The surface is velvety and initially pale yellow, gradually darkening to deep brown, though the upper portion near the cap may retain a lighter hue. With age, the stem often becomes hollow.
The flesh color matches the surface: light and yellowish in the cap, and light to brown in the stem.
It grows in dense clusters and can sometimes form very large, layered tiers.
Spore print is white
It grows on hardwood, most commonly elm, beech, aspen, and willow. It is usually found on dead wood but can also grow on diseased living trees.
Not distinctive or mild.
Should be cooked before consumption. The stem is inedible because it is very tough.
This mushroom is deadly poisonous.
The Funeral bell has a small ring on its stem, while the Velvet foot does not. However, caution is needed, as with age, the ring often disappears, leaving only a thin, barely noticeable line in its place.
The spore print color is a more reliable identification feature: the Funeral bell has a brown spore print, while the Velvet foot has a white one.
The Sulphur tuft is poisonous, but it can be fairly easily distinguished by a few external features.
The Sulphur tuft has more crowded gills that are sulfur-yellow, gray, greenish. As the spores mature and become a purple-brown color, the gills darken.
The stem of the Sulphur tuft remains relatively light even in mature fruiting bodies, whereas the stem of the Velvet foot darkens significantly with age.
The Sulphur tuft has a purplish-brown spore print, while the Velvet foot has a white one.
- Jordan, P. (2012) The Mushroom Guide and Identifier: The Ultimate Guide to identifying, picking and using mushrooms. Leicestershire: Hermes House, an imprint of Anness Publishing Ltd.
- McKnight, K.H. and McKnight, V.B. (1987) A field guide to Mushrooms of North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
- Your 2,300-page wildlife window on the World Wide Web (no date) Wildflowers, wild orchids, fungi, wildlife; nature books, reserves. Available at: https://www.first-nature.com/index.php (Accessed: 26 June 2024).
- Foraging for mushrooms and other wild foods in the UK (2024) Wild Food UK. Available at: https://www.wildfooduk.com/ (Accessed: 26 June 2024).
