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.
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Lyophyllum immundum
Lyophyllum immundum

Clustered domecap
Lyophyllum decastes
📊 Comparing characteristics
| Characteristic | Lyophyllum immundum | 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
August – November
Clustered domecap
Fruiting season
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
Clustered domecap
👀 Similar mushrooms — don't mix them up!
❓ Frequently asked questions
Can Clustered domecap and Lyophyllum immundum be mixed up?
How to tell Clustered domecap from Lyophyllum immundum?
Is Lyophyllum immundum edible?
When do Clustered domecap and Lyophyllum immundum grow?
Sources
- [1]Вікіпедія (українська)
- [2]Атлас грибів України, Зеров Д.К. (1979)
- [3]MycoBank Database
- [4]Index Fungorum
- [5]GBIF
- [6]iNaturalist Ukraine