Onion-Stalk Parasol Mushrooms

Onion-Stalk Parasol Mushrooms

Onion-stalk parasol mushrooms are one of many types of mushrooms that grow on wood debris like wood chips or old wood. They’ve been known to grow in greenhouses and potted plants as well. They grow in my yard all the time and I stopped to take a picture of this morning’s mushrooms.

An article, “Parasol Mushrooms – What You Need to Know,” by David Moore, explained that “Their name ‘Parasol’ was given because of their cap, which resembles a Parasol or umbrella. They were first discovered and named by Italian herbalist and naturalist Giovanni Antonio Scoppoli in 1772 and were classified later by the German mycologist Rolf Singer.” Onion-stalk parasol is a species of fungus in the family Agaricaceae.

They are small and typically white to light tan, gilled mushrooms that usually grow in small clusters or groups. They have a thin stipe as opposed to a thick one. The spores are shaped like ellipses and are also white. They are found in in the eastern United States and southeastern Canada as well as along the Gulf Coast. They’re also found on the Pacific coast of the United States, most of the Central America and northern South America. Onion-stalk parasol mushrooms are considered edible but are not tasty. 

iNaturalist states, “Typical characteristics include a fine-scaled bell-shaped cap, a partial veil, and a tendency to bruise a yellow to brown when handled” and “The specific epithet cepistipes (originally cepaestipes) is derived from the Latin cepae meaning onions whilst stipes means stalk or stem so ‘onion stem’. This is a reference to the bulbous base of Leucocoprinus species which may look reminiscent to the bulb of a small onion.”

I love the look of these mushrooms when they first appear, before rain or wind, because the parasols and their colors are impressive and beautiful.

Robin A.