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Clustered domecap or Lyophyllum immundum

How they differ, how to recognize them and which is more dangerous — a mushroom comparison

The short answer

Clustered domecap and Lyophyllum immundum are similar species: Clustered domecap is edible, while Lyophyllum immundum is unknown. The main visible difference: use: Clustered domecap — cook fresh, drying, Lyophyllum immundum — not eaten. The mushrooms also differ in the following features: size, cap color, taste.

📊 Comparing characteristics

Comparison of characteristics: Lyophyllum immundum and Clustered domecap
Edibility class

Lyophyllum immundum

Unknown

Clustered domecap

Edible
Season

Lyophyllum immundum

SummerAutumn

Clustered domecap

SummerAutumn
Use

Lyophyllum immundum

Not eaten

Clustered domecap

Cook freshDrying
Size

Lyophyllum immundum

Small (up to 5 cm)

Clustered domecap

Medium (5–15 cm)
Cap color

Lyophyllum immundum

GreyBrown

Clustered domecap

GreyBrownCream
Cap shape

Lyophyllum immundum

Convex

Clustered domecap

Convex
Cap surface

Lyophyllum immundum

Smooth

Clustered domecap

Smooth
Taste

Lyophyllum immundum

Unknown

Clustered domecap

Mild
Smell

Lyophyllum immundum

Odorless

Clustered domecap

Odorless
Flesh color change

Lyophyllum immundum

No change

Clustered domecap

No change
Hymenophore

Lyophyllum immundum

Gilled

Clustered domecap

Gilled
Stem

Lyophyllum immundum

Central

Clustered domecap

Central
Ring (veil)

Lyophyllum immundum

No ring

Clustered domecap

No ring
Volva

Lyophyllum immundum

No volva

Clustered domecap

No volva
Substrate

Lyophyllum immundum

SoilForest litter

Clustered domecap

SoilForest litter
Nutrition type

Lyophyllum immundum

Saprotroph

Clustered domecap

Saprotroph
Partner trees

Lyophyllum immundum

OakBeechHornbeam

Clustered domecap

—

📅 Seasonality

Lyophyllum immundum

Fruiting season

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

August – November

Clustered domecap

Fruiting season

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

July – November

🔬 Morphology

Cap

Lyophyllum immundum

Cap 3-7 cm across, hemispherical to convex in young mushrooms, becoming flat and spread out with a small bump in the center with age. Color: gray-brown, mousy brown, earthy gray — muted, with no bright tones. The surface is silky-matte and smooth; in wet weather it is slightly darker.

Clustered domecap

Cap 4–12 cm, hemispherical in young mushrooms, then flattening to plano-convex, almost flat in old ones, with a slightly raised center. The color varies: grayish, brownish, ochre, sometimes almost white or chocolate. The surface is smooth, dry, slightly sticky in wet weather. The skin does not peel.

Hymenophore

Lyophyllum immundum

The hymenophore is made of gills. The gills are crowded, thin, notched where they meet the stem. Color whitish to grayish, becoming cream-ocher with age. Spore print white.

Clustered domecap

Gills attached to the stem or slightly decurrent. White when young, turning yellowish with age, cream with an ochre tint in mature mushrooms. Crowded. Spore print white.

Stem

Lyophyllum immundum

Stem 4-7 cm tall, 0.5-1.2 cm thick, cylindrical, slightly thickened in the lower part. Color whitish to cream, with white mycelial down at the base. The surface is lengthwise fibrous, with no ring.

Clustered domecap

Stem 5–10 cm tall, 1–3 cm thick, cylindrical, sometimes somewhat curved because of the clustered growth. Whitish gray, with no ring and no volva. At the base it is often fused with others in the cluster, forming a shared "heel".

Flesh

Lyophyllum immundum

The flesh is thin, whitish to grayish, soft. It does not change color when cut. No pronounced smell.

Clustered domecap

Flesh white, springy in young mushrooms, becoming cottony and moist with age. Does NOT change color when cut. The texture is slightly cartilaginous in the stem, more tender in the cap.

Smell

Lyophyllum immundum

Faint, neutral, mushroomy, not distinctive. Do not taste it — its safety status is undetermined.

Clustered domecap

Smell faint, mushroomy, without distinctive notes. Taste mild, bland and neutral. Some specimens have a barely noticeable sweetish note.

📍 Habitats

Lyophyllum immundum

Deciduous forestMixed forest

Clustered domecap

Deciduous forestMixed forest

👀 Similar mushrooms — don't mix them up!

❓ Frequently asked questions

Can Clustered domecap and Lyophyllum immundum be mixed up?
Yes, they look so similar that people often mix them up. The use, size, cap color help tell them apart.
How to tell Clustered domecap from Lyophyllum immundum?
The main differences: use: Clustered domecap — cook fresh, drying, Lyophyllum immundum — not eaten; size: Clustered domecap — medium (5–15 cm), Lyophyllum immundum — small (up to 5 cm); cap color: Clustered domecap — grey, brown, cream, Lyophyllum immundum — grey, brown. As for edibility: Clustered domecap is edible, Lyophyllum immundum is unknown. The full table of characteristics is higher up on this page.
Is Lyophyllum immundum edible?
Lyophyllum immundum — unknown.
When do Clustered domecap and Lyophyllum immundum grow?
Clustered domecap — July–November; Lyophyllum immundum — August–November.

Sources

  • [1]Вікіпедія (українська)
  • [2]Атлас грибів України, Зеров Д.К. (1979)
  • [3]MycoBank Database
  • [4]Index Fungorum
  • [5]GBIF
  • [6]iNaturalist Ukraine