Houseplant mushroom identification is always a challenge for most indoor plant owners and Brown Mushrooms are one of the most common types you may spot in your houseplant pot. People often ask me:
- “Are brown mushrooms growing in my houseplants toxic?”
- “Are they edible?”
- “Can they hit my potted plant and must I get rid of them?”.
If you are also concerned, join me in this post. To answer your concern, the first step is identifying these uninvited guests. So, I decided to write this post to help you identify the brown mushroom growing in your houseplant. In the following, I provided a list of 7 indoor brown mushrooms with their images.
Oh, I was so engrossed in Houseplant mushrooms that I forgot to introduce myself. I’m a plant pathologist who works as a horticultural consultant. I will walk with you during this post and you can ask me your questions below this page. So, If after reading this article you can’t identify the brown mushroom growing in your houseplant, take a clear picture of it and send it to me (info@houseplantidentifier.com). Please inform me about it in the comment section below this page (I receive a lot of emails every day, so it will help me to be aware of your email). Thank you.
Now, let’s get going to find out who is the “Brown mushroom growing in your potted plant”.
➡ You can also hear the audio version of this article.
Identification of Brown Mushrooms Growing in Houseplants
Here, I provide you with 7 of the common types of mushrooms that grow in houseplants. they are brown mushrooms that can add a piece of beauty to your indoor décor, but please keep in mind that you must consider “mushrooms growing in houseplant” as toxic mushrooms.
in the following, you can see their images and read a brief overview of their appearance. It will help you identify the brown mushrooms growing in your houseplants.
Mower’s Mushroom
Scientific name: Panaeolus foenisecii
They are one of the brown mushrooms growing in potted plants. you can see them also in grassy areas, such as lawns and meadows. Especially where hay or straw has been used as mulch, they are more common.
Mower’s mushrooms (Panaeolus foenisecii) are typically small in size and their cap is about 1-3 cm in diameter. Mower’s mushrooms’ cap is conical or bell-shaped. You will see them light brown or tan that will turn pale with age.
The caps are on top of a slender and cylindrical stalk with a whitish colouration.
Belted Panaeolus
Scientific name: Panaeolus cinctulus
Another species of Panaeolus genus that is very similar to the Panaeolus foenisecii was mentioned above. The cap of Belted Panaeolus is initially chestnut brown, however, later will fade to pale yellow or buff. They love compost-rich environments.
Brown Fibrous Agaric
Scientific name: Agaricus brunneofibrillosus
However, Agaricus brunneofibrillosus is an edible indoor brown mushroom that grows in houseplants, but I strongly prohibit you from eating them due to you cannot distinguish between edible and toxic mushrooms and it must be done with experts.
Anyway, identification of brown mushrooms growing in houseplants can be safe if you don’t want to eat them. Brown fibrous agaric (Agaricus brunneofibrillosus) is a medium to large-sized fungi with convex to flat caps that are between 4-10 cm in diameter.
The cap is dark brown with fibrous scales or fibrils on top of a thick and sturdy stalk. The stem is whitish or pale brown and often with a bulbous base. In outdoor environments, you can find them in woodland areas, particularly near deciduous trees.
Brown Roll-Rim
Scientific name: Paxillus involutus
Deadly poisonous types of mushrooms that grow in houseplants. Brown Roll-Rims ( Paxillus involutus) are medium-sized mushrooms that are often found in coniferous forests due to they form mycorrhizal associations with trees.
Identification of brown mushrooms growing in houseplants: Paxillus involutus is a dark brown with a rolled rim. It has a convex to flat cap on a stout and solid stalk. The stem may be slightly lighter than the cap. The caps are between 5-12 cm in diameter.
Velvet Pioppini
Scientific name: Cyclocybe aegerita, Agrocybe cylindracea, Agrocybe aegerita or Pholiota aegerita
However, some people think Velvet Pioppini mushrooms are edible, but there are reports that they are toxic. In outdoor, you can find them on decaying wood, particularly on hardwood logs.
These types of mushrooms that grow in houseplants have dark brown to blackish colour caps with a velvety texture. The caps of Velvet Pioppini are convex, smooth, and about 2-5 cm in diameter.
You will find their stems slender, often slightly curved, and slightly lighter than caps.
Blue-Foot Conecap
Scientific name: Conocybe cyanopus
Conocybe cyanopus was formerly known as Pholiotina cyanopoda. In the outdoors, you will find them in grassy areas, lawns, or pastures, especially in late summer and autumn. Blue-foot Conecap can be also a brown mushroom growing in potted plants.
They contain the hallucinogenic compound psilocybin. Never eat them. They are toxic.
Identification of brown mushrooms growing in houseplants:
Blue-foot Conecaps are small brown mushrooms their bell-shaped caps can grow up to 3 cm in diameter in the right conditions. you will find their caps in light tan to yellowish-brown colours with a darker centre
Their stalks are slim and fragile. The stems are white at the top; however, they will gradually turn blue towards the base.
Mica Cap
Scientific name: Coprinellus micaceus
Other types of brown mushrooms growing in potted plants are edible too, although I never recommend eating them due to you cannot distinguish toxic fungi from edible ones.
Identification of brown mushrooms growing in houseplants: Mica Cap (Coprinellus micaceus) is a small to medium-sized mushroom whose cap is between 1-4 cm in diameter. The light to medium brown caps are initially bell-shaped and later will turn to flatten.
People call Coprinellus micaceus Mica Cap due to the scattered mica-like scales on its cap. The whitish-to-pale brown stalk is slender and cylindrical
They often grow clustered and you can also find them on decaying wood, tree stumps, or in wood chip mulch.
Should I Remove Mushrooms from My Plants?
Above I told you about the identification of brown mushrooms growing in houseplants, let me answer another frequent question that people often ask me: “Is it bad if mushrooms are growing in my potted plant?”
Various factors can have an impact on answering this question:
➡ First, you must know not only are mushrooms not harmful to your potted plant but they are also beneficial for them. Mushrooms feed on decayed stuff in the soil and turn them into nutrient foods for plants. Thanks to them.
➡ But you must assume that various types of mushrooms that grow in houseplants are toxic. So, if you have little kids or pets, you must keep them away from brown mushrooms growing in a potted plant.
➡ In addition, brown mushrooms growing in potted plants can produce thousands of spores. They will fly into your house atmosphere and can cause several problems from allergic problems to growing mushrooms in other humid parts of your home such as bathrooms.
➡ However, in some cultures, people believe mushrooms growing in houseplants are good luck. Also, some people consider indoor growing mushrooms as natural things that add vibrancy to their indoor decor.
➡ Some houseplant owners said mushrooms growing in potted plants were a wonderful topic to talk about with their guests.
By and large, it’s dependent on you to leave mushrooms to do their things or get rid of them. If you want to prevent growing mushrooms in your houseplant, I recommend using an uninfected houseplant soil mix and avoiding keeping the soil wet. I discussed how to dry out houseplant soil in my other post, it can be helpful in this issue.
Conclusion
The “identification of brown mushroom growing in houseplant” was the main topic of this post and I tried to introduce 7 of the most common indoor brown mushrooms in potted plants to you. Did you identify the types of mushrooms that grow in houseplants? do you want to get rid of them or leave them to thrive with your potted plant? please tell us about your ideas below this page.
Elahe Rabiei
Hi, I’m Elaheh. My Academic major is plant protection, and houseplants are my expertise. As a houseplant lover, my house is full of indoor plants and it is my passion to take care of them. Hence, I’m here to share my knowledge and experience about growing healthy houseplants. I am also a plant protection advisor, so feel free to ask me any questions you may have.