Aniseed funnelClitocybe odora

Yes, it is an edible mushroom. It has practically no poisonous look-alikes — an intense aniseed smell + a pale greenish-bluish cap with decurrent gills is a combination so distinctive that it is hard to confuse with another species. But there are several small white Clitocybe containing muscarine — so the rule is simple: if there's no clear anise, don't take it.

Not for ordinary frying — the flesh is thin, without a pronounced mushroom taste. Best use: dry it, grind it into powder and add it as a seasoning to fish, meat and vegetable soups — as a natural substitute for anise. Fresh — in small amounts in sauces, cream gravies and mushroom risotto. Don't boil it in lots of water — the aroma will escape with the water.

Yes — in many European culinary traditions this spice mushroom is used instead of anise or fennel in fish sauces, meat marinades and flavored oils. The ratio is roughly 1 tsp of dried powder per 1 kg of food. The aroma is not as sharp as star anise, but rounder and softer.

In deciduous and mixed forests — mostly under oak, beech, hornbeam and birch. It likes damp spots with thick leaf litter, forest edges, the slopes of wooded ravines and mossy patches. It often grows among fallen leaves, in the shade. In coniferous forests and young plantations it is less common. How to find it: walk through the forest and sniff the air — the aniseed smell will lead you to it.

Throughout the forest zone — the Carpathians, Prykarpattia, Polissia and all three forest-steppe belts. Especially abundant in Carpathian beech and oak forests and the mixed woodlands of Polissia. In the steppe — in ravine (bairak) forests. Widespread overall, but not a common species.

August to November, peaking in September–October. It tolerates the first frosts. In a wet autumn — abundant groups; in a dry one — scattered finds. It does not fruit in summer heat.

With other small Clitocybe — especially with Clitocybe rivulosa (a whitish, poisonous muscarine mushroom, with no aniseed smell) and Clitocybe dealbata (similar, also poisonous). The fundamental difference: Clitocybe odora always has an intense anise smell. If you sniff the mushroom and there's no anise — it's a different species. Smell is the most reliable field test for this species.

Break the cap in half and sniff the fresh break — in Clitocybe odora the anise is unmistakable even with a runny nose. If you still can't catch it — DON'T take it. It is safer to skip a doubtful mushroom than to put a poisonous look-alike in your basket. The genus Clitocybe has several species containing muscarine — the same toxin as in the deadly fibrecap.