Stats

Lifespan

A few weeks

Size

Small

Diet

Decomposer

Biome

Temperate woodland

Range

Worldwide

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Spores

Defense

Toxins

Status

Common

About

The pale brittlestem sprouts in clusters from lawns, wood chips, and buried roots after rain, its thin ochre-tan cap fading to pale cream at the margin. Its stem is so brittle it snaps cleanly like a piece of chalk if bent.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   spore

   A microscopic spore drifts on air or water and germinates where moisture and substrate meet.
2. 2.
   mycelium

   A thread-like mycelium spreads through the substrate, breaking it down into nutrients.
3. 3.
   fruiting body

   A mature fruiting body emerges to release the next generation of spores.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Fungi

Phylum

Basidiomycota

Class

Agaricomycetes

Order

Agaricales

Family

Psathyrellaceae

Genus

Candolleomyces

Species

Candolleomyces candolleanus