Aniseed funnel or Clouded funnel

Cap 3-7 cm across, flat-convex in young mushrooms, later funnel-shaped with a sunken center and a thin wavy margin. Color grayish-blue to greenish-blue, fading with age to pale gray-green and cream. This characteristic bluish-green palette is the main visual feature. Surface smooth, slightly moist in wet weather, matte in dry weather. Cap skin thin.

The cap is large: 8-20 cm across, hemispherical to convex in young mushrooms, with an inrolled margin, later flattening out with a small bump in the center. The color is smoky gray, mouse-gray, darker in wet weather and lighter in dry weather. The surface is silky-matte, with a thin whitish bloom (as if dusted with flour). The cap margin is often wavy and curled downward.

Gilled hymenophore. Gills crowded, decurrent down the stem (a typical feature of the genus Clitocybe). Color whitish to cream, with a faint greenish tint echoing the cap. Spore print white to cream.

The underside has gills. The gills are crowded, thin, decurrent down the stem. Whitish to cream, turning cream-ochre with age. The spore print is white to pale cream. The gills detach easily from the cap — a characteristic feature of the genus.

Stem 3-7 cm tall, 0.5-1.5 cm thick, cylindrical or slightly thickened toward the base, often curved. Color greenish-gray to cream, with white mycelial down at the bottom. Surface smooth, no ring. Stem flesh firm, hollow in old mushrooms.

The stem is sturdy: 5-10 cm tall, 2-4 cm thick, cylindrical or thickening toward the base. White to dirty grayish-cream. The surface is lengthwise fibrous, with white mycelial fuzz at the base. No ring. The stem flesh is firm, becoming hollow with age.

Flesh thin, whitish with a faint greenish tint, soft. Does not change color when cut. Has a very distinct aniseed taste and smell.

The flesh is thick and white, firm in young mushrooms and looser in old ones. It doesn't change color when cut. It has a distinct mealy smell and a mild taste.

Intense anise, with notes of licorice and freshly cut fennel. The most fragrant mushroom among European Clitocybe — one of the genus's culinary markers. The smell is so distinct that it is used as a diagnostic feature in field identification.

Strongly mealy, with a hint of cucumber — typical of the species. In old mushrooms it's sourish and unpleasant. The smell is so distinctive that it's used as a diagnostic feature for identification in the field.