Weeping Widow / Summer / Autumn / Edible
Welcome to the intriguing world of the Weeping Widow mushroom, scientifically known as Lacrymaria lacrymabunda. This distinctive mushroom, named for the black, watery droplets that adorn its cap and gills, is a common sight in grasslands, woodlands, and other natural settings from June to November. Its cap, gills, stem, and skirt all bear unique features, making it easily identifiable
Scientific Name
Lacrymaria lacrymabunda
Common Names
Weeping Widow
Family
Psathyrellaceae
Habitat
They are saprotrophic, and are generally found in grassland and on verges beside lanes, sometimes found in woodland clearings. They sometimes appear in graveyards, crying their black tears, no wonder people get freaked out by mushrooms!
Description
Despite the common name this mushroom is non toxic, the name is because of the black, watery droplets that appear at the cap rim and on the edges of the gills when they are moist, making them look like they are weeping. Although not toxic they are tough and bitter so not one for the pot really.
Identifying Features of the Weeping Widow Mushroom:
Cap:
The cap is bell-shaped when young, flattening out as they age but they tend to retain a raised central umbo. The caps covered in wooly fibres that hang down over the cap edge. These fibres collect the black spores which will drip or weep when its moist. The caps are reddish brown and between 7-12 cm in diameter.
Stem:
The stem is up to 10 cm long, fibrous and covered in scales. There is a ring zone near the top of the stem where the veil has broken free, these remnants tend to catch some of the falling spores and create a dark ring around the stem.
Gills:
When young the gills are covered in a cobweb like veil that breaks as the cap expands. The gills start off yellow-brown but become darker and mottled as the spores mature. They are adnexed to free and quite crowded.
Smell:
No distinctive smell.
Spores:
The Weeping Widow Mushroom has Black Spores.
Cooking with the Weeping Widow Mushroom
While non toxic, I don’t really rate them myself, they are tough and quite bitter and very quickly turn into a puddle of blackness.
Harvesting
If you do decide to try them the younger specimens have a nicer texture and are less likely to be infected with bugs.
Known hazards
Some individuals report stomach upset after eating it
Potential lookalikes for the Weeping Widow Mushroom
They are quite distinctive but could possibly be confused with some of the Agaricus family, but these have pink gills when young.
Some of the Brittlestems (Psathyrella) look similar but these are generally smaller and as the name suggests they have brittle stems and don’t produce black ‘tears’.
Extra Notes
Both parts of the scientific name originate from the Latin ‘Lacrymaris’, meaning of or pertaining to tears.
There’s a unusual microscopic animal with a similar name ‘Lacrymaria olor’ whose name translates to ‘tears of a swan’ which I love.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lacrymaria_lacrymabunda
https://www.first-nature.com/fungi/lacrymaria-lacrymabunda.php
