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Small brown ringed conecap with a thin stem and ring
Deadlyexpert-only

Ringed Conecap

Pholiotina rugosa / Conocybe filaris

A small brown lawn and mulch mushroom with a movable ring and rusty spores that contains deadly amatoxins.

Photo: Owen Jones, CC BY
Compiled by Mushroom Forage Map field deskExpert review pendingContent checked
Toxicity warning

Potentially fatal to people and pets. Contains amatoxins. Contact a poison center immediately after any ingestion.

Season
Spring to autumn
Habitat
Lawns, wood chips, mulch, and gardens
Underside
Rusty brown gills
Spore evidence
Rusty brown

Where it grows

Tracked records and known growing zone

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Squares: where people recorded it, brighter where more people did
Verified records
462
People who recorded it
284
Most records (northern hemisphere)
Dec–Jan, Mar, Sep–Oct
Records span
2006–2026

Research-grade iNaturalist records, snapshot Aug 27, 2026. The growing zone combines areas where different people have repeatedly verified it. Records show where people looked and found it, not current abundance or permission to gather.

Observation season

When field records occur

Choose a hemisphere · All recorded years; not a current forecast.

Choose the hemisphere you want to study. Country detection is approximate and some countries span the equator.

Compare before concluding

Lookalikes to rule out

Psilocybe species

deadly

People seeking psychoactive mushrooms have eaten conecaps; Psilocybe spores are purple-brown.

Galerina also contains amatoxins and has rusty-brown spores.

Identification

The cap is small, rarely over 2.5 cm, conical to bell-shaped, and orange-brown. Gills are rusty brown. The thin, fragile stem carries a small movable ring. It fruits in lawns, mulch, and wood chips.

Why it matters

This tiny mushroom contains the same amatoxins as the death cap. It is a particular risk to young children and dogs who eat mushrooms in lawns and landscaping.

Memorable fact

It is one of the smallest mushrooms known to carry enough amatoxin to endanger a person.

Sources

Never eat a mushroom from this page alone

Confirm identity using the whole specimen, multiple reputable sources, and a qualified local expert. Identified edible species still require appropriate preparation. Cooking does not make a poisonous mushroom safe.

Safety and poison response
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