Earpick fungus or Conifercone cap
How they differ, how to recognize them and which is more dangerous — a mushroom comparison
The short answer
Earpick fungus and Conifercone cap are similar species that can be mixed up while foraging. The main visible difference: season: Earpick fungus — spring, summer, autumn, Conifercone cap — summer, autumn. The mushrooms also differ in the following features: cap color, cap shape, cap surface.
Earpick fungus
Auriscalpium vulgare
Conifercone cap
Baeospora myosura
📊 Comparing characteristics
| Characteristic | Earpick fungus | Conifercone cap |
|---|---|---|
| Edibility class | Earpick fungus Inedible | Conifercone cap Inedible |
| Season | Earpick fungus SpringSummerAutumn | Conifercone cap SummerAutumn |
| Use | Earpick fungus Not eaten | Conifercone cap Not eaten |
| Size | Earpick fungus Very small (<3 cm) | Conifercone cap Very small (<3 cm) |
| Cap color | Earpick fungus BrownDark brownBlack | Conifercone cap PinkBrownCream |
| Cap shape | Earpick fungus Convex | Conifercone cap Umbonate |
| Cap surface | Earpick fungus Fibrous | Conifercone cap Smooth |
| Taste | Earpick fungus Unknown | Conifercone cap Unknown |
| Smell | Earpick fungus Odorless | Conifercone cap Odorless |
| Flesh color change | Earpick fungus No change | Conifercone cap No change |
| Hymenophore | Earpick fungus Spiny | Conifercone cap Gilled |
| Stem | Earpick fungus Eccentric | Conifercone cap Central |
| Ring (veil) | Earpick fungus No ring | Conifercone cap No ring |
| Volva | Earpick fungus No volva | Conifercone cap No volva |
| Substrate | Earpick fungus Forest litter | Conifercone cap Forest litter |
| Nutrition type | Earpick fungus Saprotroph | Conifercone cap Saprotroph |
| Partner trees | Earpick fungus Pine | Conifercone cap PineSpruce |
📅 Seasonality
Earpick fungus
Fruiting season
April – October
Conifercone cap
Fruiting season
July – November
🔬 Morphology
Cap
Earpick fungus
Cap 0.5–2.5 cm across, asymmetric, semicircular, often lopsided. Surface bristly. Brownish-gray at first, then dark brown to black.
Conifercone cap
Cap 1–2 cm. Hemispherical at first, then opening out flat with a central bump. Pinkish-gray-brown, darker in the center, paler toward the margin.
Hymenophore
Earpick fungus
Spiny hymenophore — spines up to 3 mm long, cone-shaped. Whitish at first, then creamy-yellowish. This is what sets the Earpick fungus apart from its relatives.
Conifercone cap
Gilled hymenophore. Gills crowded, white or grayish. Spore print white. Spores very small, 2.7–4 × 1–2.2 µm.
Stem
Earpick fungus
Stem 3–10 cm tall, very thin (1–2 mm thick), off-center or lateral. Surface hairy, dark brown.
Conifercone cap
Stem 2–8 cm tall, thin. Colored: reddish-brown, cream-brown, yellow-brown. Covered with a white mealy coating — this is the most characteristic feature.
Flesh
Earpick fungus
flesh thin, leathery, dark. No distinctive color changes.
Conifercone cap
flesh very thin, fragile. White to cream. No notable changes.
Smell
Earpick fungus
Faint, nondescript. Not sharp.
Conifercone cap
Faint, mushroomy. No sharp notes.
📍 Habitats
Earpick fungus
Conifercone cap
👀 Similar mushrooms — don't mix them up!
❓ Frequently asked questions
Can Earpick fungus and Conifercone cap be mixed up?
How to tell Earpick fungus from Conifercone cap?
Is Conifercone cap edible?
When do Earpick fungus and Conifercone cap grow?
Sources
- [1]Вікіпедія (українська)
- [2]Атлас грибів України, Зеров Д.К. (1979)
- [3]MycoBank Database
- [4]Index Fungorum
- [5]GBIF
- [6]iNaturalist Ukraine