Comparison
Gypsy mushroom or fool's webcap? How to tell them apart
Gypsy mushroom is an edible mushroom, while the fool's webcap is a deadly poisonous mushroom. Compare the two mushrooms point by point.
Mature gypsy mushrooms that have lost their ring may resemble other webcaps, including deadly poisonous ones. Pick only specimens with a distinct membranous ring.
Feature by feature
| Feature | Gypsy mushroom | Fool's webcap |
|---|---|---|
| Edibility | Edible | Deadly poisonous |
| Cap | 4–12 cm, straw-coloured to ochre-brown, with a silvery-violet, frosted bloom when young; egg-shaped, then expanded with a blunt umbo; radially wrinkled, the margin splits. | 4–7 cm, orange-brown to cinnamon- and reddish-brown, matt, felty with fine scales, with a blunt umbo. |
| Under the cap | Gills crowded, emarginate, clay-yellow, then rusty-brown; in young specimens covered by a white veil. Spore print rusty-brown. | Gills distant, thick, saffron-yellow at first, then orange-rusty; in young specimens covered by a cobweb-like cortina. Spore print rusty-brown. |
| Stem | 7–15 cm, whitish to ochre, with a narrow, MEMBRANOUS whitish ring (often ragged); flaky above the ring, fibrous below; base sometimes bulbous, but without a volva. | 5–10 cm, yellowish to yellow-brown, with darker lengthwise fibres, narrowed at the base, without a distinct pattern from the veil. |
| Flesh | White to pale cream, does not change colour. | Yellowish, does not change colour noticeably. |
| Smell and taste | Smell and taste insignificant. | Faint smell of radish. DO NOT TASTE even a small piece. |
| Habitat | Spruce and pine forests on poor, acidic, sandy soils, often among bilberry, Cladonia lichens and white moss (Leucobryum); in masses, in groups. Does not grow on limestone, rare in broadleaf forests. | Broadleaf and mixed forests, more often under oaks, less often under beech, birch and pine; on the ground, often on the verges of forest tracks. Rare in Poland. |
| Season | July, August, September, October | August, September, October, November |
How to recognise it: gypsy mushroom
- Membranous ring on the stem (an exception among webcaps)
- Radially wrinkled, buff cap with a violet-tinged frosting when young
- Rusty-brown gills and spore print
- In masses in acidic coniferous forests with bilberry
How to recognise it: fool's webcap
- Rusty-orange, matt, felty cap with an umbo
- Distant, orange-rusty gills and a rusty spore print
- Traces of a cobweb-like cortina in young specimens
- Broadleaf forest, usually under oak
Safety rule
Never eat a mushroom identified only from a website, a photo or an app. Show any doubtful specimen to a certified mushroom inspector at the sanepid (state sanitary inspection); in season the advice points are free. Do not give wild-picked mushrooms to children.
The golden rules of foraging →Frequently asked questions
Gypsy mushroom or fool's webcap: how can you tell them apart?
Mature gypsy mushrooms that have lost their ring may resemble other webcaps, including deadly poisonous ones. Pick only specimens with a distinct membranous ring.
Fool's webcap: what to do if you have eaten it?
Call 112 at once or go to A&E (SOR), and take any leftover mushrooms with you. Orellanine – orellanus (nephrotoxic) syndrome: damage to the renal tubules and acute kidney failure. Latency from approx. 2–3 to a dozen or more days (fully developed symptoms even after ~2 weeks). No antidote – dialysis or kidney transplant.
Sources
- Płachetka zwyczajna – Wikipedia (PL)
- Rozites caperatus – Atlas grzybów Polski (grzyby.pl, M. Snowarski)
- Cortinarius caperatus – First Nature
- Zasłonak rudy – Wikipedia (PL)
- Cortinarius orellanus – Atlas grzybów Polski (grzyby.pl, M. Snowarski)
- Cortinarius orellanus – First Nature
Last checked: 9 November 2026. Spotted a mistake? Write to us.