Powdery piggyback or Silky piggyback
How they differ, how to recognize them and which is more dangerous — a mushroom comparison
The short answer
Powdery piggyback and Silky piggyback are similar species that can be mixed up while foraging. The main visible difference: cap color: Powdery piggyback — white, brown, Silky piggyback — white, red, grey. The mushrooms also differ in the following features: cap surface, smell.
Powdery piggyback
Asterophora lycoperdoides
Silky piggyback
Asterophora parasitica
📊 Comparing characteristics
| Characteristic | Powdery piggyback | Silky piggyback |
|---|---|---|
| Edibility class | Powdery piggyback Inedible | Silky piggyback Inedible |
| Season | Powdery piggyback SummerAutumn | Silky piggyback SummerAutumn |
| Use | Powdery piggyback Not eaten | Silky piggyback Not eaten |
| Size | Powdery piggyback Very small (<3 cm) | Silky piggyback Very small (<3 cm) |
| Cap color | Powdery piggyback WhiteBrown | Silky piggyback WhiteRedGrey |
| Cap shape | Powdery piggyback Convex | Silky piggyback Convex |
| Cap surface | Powdery piggyback Cracked | Silky piggyback Smooth |
| Taste | Powdery piggyback Unknown | Silky piggyback Unknown |
| Smell | Powdery piggyback Floury | Silky piggyback Odorless |
| Flesh color change | Powdery piggyback No change | Silky piggyback No change |
| Hymenophore | Powdery piggyback Gilled | Silky piggyback Gilled |
| Stem | Powdery piggyback Central | Silky piggyback Central |
| Ring (veil) | Powdery piggyback No ring | Silky piggyback No ring |
| Volva | Powdery piggyback No volva | Silky piggyback No volva |
| Substrate | Powdery piggyback Forest litter | Silky piggyback Forest litter |
| Nutrition type | Powdery piggyback Parasite | Silky piggyback Parasite |
📅 Seasonality
Powdery piggyback
Fruiting season
July – October
Silky piggyback
Fruiting season
July – October
🔬 Morphology
Cap
Powdery piggyback
Cap 0.5–2.5 cm. Hemispherical at first, then convex-flat. The surface is white at first, then cracks and turns brown with time — it looks like a tiny puffball sitting on top of gills.
Silky piggyback
Cap 1.5–2.5 cm. Bell-shaped at first, then flattening. Color: white → reddish or grayish. Surface smooth, not cracked.
Hymenophore
Powdery piggyback
Gilled hymenophore, but the gills are often underdeveloped or deformed. A powder of chlamydospores forms on the cap surface. Spore print white. Basidiospores ellipsoid, colorless, 5–7 × 3–4.5 µm.
Silky piggyback
Gilled hymenophore. Spore print white. Spores ellipsoid, 5–6 × 3–4 µm. Secondary chlamydospores are often formed.
Stem
Powdery piggyback
Stem 1–3 cm tall, thin, white. No ring or volva.
Silky piggyback
Stem 1–5 cm tall, 2–5 mm thick. Hairy, often bent, hollow, fibrous. Whitish to grayish. No ring or volva.
Flesh
Powdery piggyback
flesh thin, fragile, white. No clear color change.
Silky piggyback
flesh thin, fragile, white. No notable color changes.
Smell
Powdery piggyback
Faint mealy smell — typical of many mycophilic species.
Silky piggyback
Faint, mushroomy. No sharp notes.
📍 Habitats
Powdery piggyback
Silky piggyback
👀 Similar mushrooms — don't mix them up!
❓ Frequently asked questions
Can Powdery piggyback and Silky piggyback be mixed up?
How to tell Powdery piggyback from Silky piggyback?
Is Silky piggyback edible?
When do Powdery piggyback and Silky piggyback grow?
Sources
- [1]Вікіпедія (українська)
- [2]Атлас грибів України, Зеров Д.К. (1979)
- [3]MycoBank Database
- [4]Index Fungorum
- [5]GBIF
- [6]iNaturalist Ukraine