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Tawny funnel (Paralepista flaccida), whole fruiting body
Michel Langeveld · CC BY-SA 4.0
Inedible

Tawny funnel

Paralepista flaccida · Tricholomataceae

The tawny funnel (Paralepista flaccida) is an orange-brown, funnel-shaped mushroom that grows on needle and leaf litter, often in rings or crowded groups.

Last updated: Prepared by the Poros Mantar editorial team7 sources checkedReport a correction

FamilyTricholomataceae
SeasonOct–Jan
Spore printWhite to cream
Cap width4–10 cm
Stem length3–5 cm
Records in Turkey20 records
CultivationWild only
StatusInedible

The tawny funnel (Paralepista flaccida) is an orange-brown, funnel-shaped mushroom that grows on needle and leaf litter, often in rings or crowded groups. Its crowded gills run down the stem. Its edibility is disputed in the literature and it can be confused with poisonous funnels, so we list it as not edible.

Also called: tawny funnel cap, tawny funnelcap Turkish: Almabeni mantarı, alma beni mantarı Synonyms: Lepista flaccida, Clitocybe flaccida, Lepista inversa

Tawny funnel (Paralepista flaccida), in its natural habitat

How to recognise it

Tawny funnel, part by part

No ring or volva Spore print: White to cream Faintly sweetish or indistinct; the flesh is thin and pale.

Tawny funnel (Paralepista flaccida), cap seen from above
Cap4–10 cm; convex at first, then sinking in the centre to a funnel, with the margin staying inrolled for a long time. Orange-brown, cinnamon or fox-coloured, fading as it dries; smooth and matt.
Tawny funnel (Paralepista flaccida), gills under the cap, seen from below
GillsGills crowded and running down the stem (decurrent); cream at first, later pale orange-brown.
Tawny funnel (Paralepista flaccida), stem and stem base
Stem3–5 cm, the same colour as the cap or a little paler, fibrous; the base is attached to the litter by white mycelium.

When and where

Oct–Jan

  1. Janin season
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Octin season
  11. Novin season
  12. Decin season

The tawny funnel appears in late autumn and winter; our records run from October to January, most of them in January, October and December, with a single record in May.

Type Inedible

Months seen OctoberNovemberDecemberJanuary

Colour OrangeBrown

Regions Black Sea RegionAegean RegionMarmara RegionManisaBoluIstanbul

Where does tawny funnel grow?

Under conifers and broadleaf trees such as pine, spruce and beech, on needle and leaf litter; it feeds on decaying plant matter. It usually grows in crowded groups or fairy rings.

Where is tawny funnel found in Turkey?

Our map data (GBIF and iNaturalist) holds 20 Turkish records: Istanbul 9, Manisa 6 and Bolu 5. They come from woodland in the Marmara, Aegean and western Black Sea regions.

Which months

  1. Jan7
  2. Feb0
  3. Mar0
  4. Apr0
  5. May1
  6. Jun0
  7. Jul0
  8. Aug0
  9. Sep0
  10. Oct6
  11. Nov1
  12. Dec5

tawny funnel map of Turkey: all provinces and months →

3 provinces, 20 observations (GBIF, iNaturalist); months from observation dates. Record density also reflects where observers work.

Latest tawny funnel observations

On "illustrative" cards the image is a photo of the species; the observation photo cannot be shown here because of its licence, but can be seen at the source.

Tawny funnel (Paralepista flaccida), in its natural habitat
In its habitat

Look-alikes

What could it be confused with?

Tawny funnel can be mistaken for the species below. Each card shows the look-alike and how it differs from Tawny funnel.

Tawny funnel (Paralepista flaccida), whole fruiting body
This species Tawny funnel
No licensed photo yet Poisonous

not Tawny funnel

Paralepistopsis amoenolens Paralepistopsis amoenolens

This species, which has caused poisonings in Mediterranean countries, is also orange-ish and funnel-shaped; days after eating it causes burning pain and redness in the hands and feet (erythromelalgia). It differs in its strong, pleasant smell and pale yellowish gills, but telling them apart takes experience.

Trooping funnel (Infundibulicybe geotropa), whole fruiting body Edible species

not Tawny funnel

Trooping funnel Infundibulicybe geotropa

The trooping funnel is much larger (cap up to 20 cm, stem up to 15 cm), cream to buff, with a clear central bump on the cap. The tawny funnel is orange-brown, smaller and short-stemmed.

Common funnel (Clitocybe gibba) Inedible

not Tawny funnel

Common funnel Clitocybe gibba

The common funnel is paler, pinkish-buff, with a thin cap and gills that stay white. The tawny funnel's cap is a deeper orange-brown and its gills brown with age.

What it contains

Its flesh is described as thin and slightly sourish; it has little culinary value.

General information, not a health claim.

Some sources list the tawny funnel as edible, others as poor or causing stomach upsets. The real danger is Paralepistopsis amoenolens, which looks alike and causes burning pain in the hands and feet that starts days later and lasts for weeks. Do not eat orange funnel-shaped mushrooms. If poisoning is suspected, call poison control and keep any leftover mushroom.

Frequently asked questions

Is the tawny funnel edible?

Our advice is not to eat it. Sources disagree on its edibility, and it closely resembles the poisonous Paralepistopsis amoenolens, which causes burning pain in the hands and feet.

Is it poisonous?

It is not considered dangerously poisonous; some people report stomach upsets. The main risk is confusing it with its poisonous look-alike.

How do you recognise it?

Look for an orange-brown funnel-shaped cap, crowded gills running down the stem, a cream spore print and crowded groups on needle or leaf litter.

Where does it grow?

Under pine, spruce, beech and other trees, on litter, often in rings or dense groups.

When does it appear?

In late autumn and winter; our records run from October to January.

How do you tell it from the trooping funnel?

The trooping funnel is much larger, cream to buff and long-stemmed, with a central bump. The tawny funnel is smaller, orange-brown and short-stemmed.

Where is it found in Turkey?

Our map data has 20 records from Istanbul, Manisa and Bolu.

What is its Turkish name?

Its Turkish name on iNaturalist is almabeni mantarı, sometimes written as alma beni mantarı.

When is tawny funnel season in Turkey?

In our calendar, tawny funnel season runs Oct–Jan. The tawny funnel appears in late autumn and winter; our records run from October to January, most of them in January, October and December, with a single record in May.

Where does tawny funnel grow?

Under conifers and broadleaf trees such as pine, spruce and beech, on needle and leaf litter; it feeds on decaying plant matter. It usually grows in crowded groups or fairy rings.

Where is tawny funnel found in Turkey?

Our map data (GBIF and iNaturalist) holds 20 Turkish records: Istanbul 9, Manisa 6 and Bolu 5. They come from woodland in the Marmara, Aegean and western Black Sea regions.

What can tawny funnel be confused with?

Tawny funnel can be confused with paralepistopsis amoenolens (Paralepistopsis amoenolens, poisonous), trooping funnel (Infundibulicybe geotropa, edible species) and common funnel (Clitocybe gibba, inedible). Look-alikes are compared on this page.

What is tawny funnel called in Turkish?

In Turkish, tawny funnel (Paralepista flaccida) is called Almabeni mantarı; other local names include alma beni mantarı.

Related species

All species → · Identify by photo →

Sources

  1. Sevindik ve ark. (2025), Molecules: Paralepista flaccida ekstraksiyon ve antioksidan çalışması pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  2. Erbiai ve ark. (2023), Molecules: iki yabani mantarda antioksidan özellikler pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  3. Wikipedia (EN): Paralepista flaccida en.wikipedia.org
All sources (7)
  1. First Nature: Lepista flaccida first-nature.com
  2. Wikipedia (EN): Paralepistopsis amoenolens en.wikipedia.org
  3. iNaturalist: Paralepista flaccida (Türkçe ad ve Türkiye gözlemleri) inaturalist.org
  4. GBIF: Türkiye kayıtları gbif.org
Photo credits (14)