# Cabbage Parachute (*gymnopus brassicolens*)

The Cabbage Parachute is a fun and colorful mushroom that looks like it can float in the air! Kids love to spot its unique shape in gardens and parks.

- **Category:** [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/fungi)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Grassy areas, gardens, and parks, especially after rainfall.
- **Also known as:** Cabbage Fungus, Cabbage Mushroom, Garden Mushroom, Parachute Mushroom

![Cabbage Parachute](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Gymnopus_brassicolens.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Annabel, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gymnopus_brassicolens.jpg)

## Appearance

The Cabbage Parachute has a small, pale yellowish-brown cap that is often wrinkled, resembling a flattened, uneven parachute. Its slender stem is usually the same pale color, making it blend into its woody surroundings.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Fungi
- **Phylum:** Basidiomycota
- **Class:** Agaricomycetes
- **Order:** Agaricales
- **Family:** Omphalotaceae
- **Genus:** Gymnopus

## Interesting facts

- Hidden underground, its main body is a network of tiny, thread-like cells.
- Its unique smell is often compared to rotting cabbage or even garlic!
- This mushroom helps clean up forests by breaking down old branches and logs.
- You might find dozens of them together, like a tiny mushroom village!

## Special abilities

- **Smelly Shield:** Cabbage Parachute can release a strong, unpleasant cabbage-like odor that helps deter hungry animals from eating it.
- **Woody Recycler:** Cabbage Parachute has powerful enzymes that help them break down tough, decaying wood, returning vital nutrients to the soil.
- **Clustering Champion:** Cabbage Parachute can often grow in large clusters because its hidden network of mycelium spreads widely through dead wood.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 2-7 cm
- **Edible:** inedible
- **Size:** 1-4 cm
- **Growth Substrate:** wood
- **Season:** Fall
- **Spore Color:** White

## Ecological connections

- **Depends on:** [White Oak](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-oak) (*Quercus alba*) — Decomposes dead wood from these trees, recycling forest nutrients.
- **Depends on:** [Sugar Maple](https://www.snappit.app/explore/sugar-maple) (*Acer saccharum*) — Feeds on fallen branches and woody debris from maple trees.
- **Eaten by:** European Red Slug (*Arion rufus*) — Slugs may graze on the caps of Cabbage Parachute mushrooms.

## Traits

- [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material.
- [Decomposer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/decomposer): Describes organisms that break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.
- [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.

## Collections

- [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/fungi)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always ask an adult before touching or picking mushrooms.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Cabbage Parachute?

Compare the cap shape, the underside, the stem and base, and whether the fungus grows on wood or soil. Some fungi have gills, others pores or teeth. A cap seen only from above often hides the most useful features. Mushroom Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Cabbage Parachute?

2-7 cm

### Is Cabbage Parachute edible?

inedible

### How big is Cabbage Parachute?

1-4 cm

### Where is Cabbage Parachute usually found?

Grassy areas, gardens, and parks, especially after rainfall.

### What does Cabbage Parachute grow on?

wood

### When is Cabbage Parachute in season?

Fall

### What color are Cabbage Parachute spores?

White

## Where to spot

- [Fairview Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/fairview-park) — California, US · Park

## More Fungi

- [Field Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/field-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Button Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/button-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Portobello Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/portobello-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Shiitake](https://www.snappit.app/explore/shiitake) (*Lentinula*)

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Source: [Cabbage Parachute: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/cabbage-parachute)