How to tell Snowy waxcap from Ivory funnel

The cap of the snowy waxcap is small — 1 to 4 centimeters across. When young it is convex to bell-shaped, opening with age to flat, often with a small knob and a wavy, sometimes cracked margin. The surface is smooth, slightly slippery in wet weather, white, cream or with a faint ochre tint in the center. Its pure white coloring is what gave the mushroom its name.

Cap 2-5 cm across, convex when young, becoming funnel-shaped over time, with a depressed center and a thin wavy margin. Color whitish, cream, with pale gray or ochre patches; silky-sheened in wet weather, chalky white when dry. Surface smooth, with barely visible radial streaks.

The hymenophore is gilled. The gills are thick, widely spaced, waxy to the touch, running noticeably down the stem (decurrent), white or cream. The spore print is white. Thick, waxy, decurrent white gills are a typical family trait of the Hygrophoraceae (waxcaps).

Gilled hymenophore. Gills crowded, thin, decurrent down the stem (a hallmark of the genus Clitocybe). Color whitish to cream. Spore print white.

The stem is thin, white, 2 to 6 centimeters tall, cylindrical, often narrowing toward the base, dry or slightly slippery. There is no ring and no volva. The surface is smooth. The stem is fragile, like the whole structure of the mushroom.

Stem 2-4 cm tall, 0.3-0.8 cm thick, slender, cylindrical, often curved. Color whitish to cream, with white mycelial fuzz at the base. Surface smooth, no ring. Stem flesh firm.

The flesh is white, thin, waxy, and does not change color when cut. The taste is mild, without bitterness, but generally bland. Because of the thin flesh and small size its culinary value is modest, so the mushroom rounds out the basket rather than forming the basis of a dish.

Flesh thin, white, watery, brittle. Does not change color when cut. It has a faint, pleasant smell (slightly sweet, or mealy according to some guides) and a mild taste — and that is what makes this species so treacherous: it smells and tastes "right", nothing sets off alarm bells.

The smell is faint, pleasant or almost imperceptible, with no sharp notes. The aroma is not a defining feature, so for identification you rely on the pure white, slightly slippery cap, the thick waxy decurrent gills and its growth in groups in meadows in autumn.

Faint and indistinct, slightly sweet; some guides describe it as mealy. This adds to the danger: the smell raises no suspicion. Never rely on smell when identifying mushrooms of this size.