tootmayles

Tootmayles are a fictional group of small, forest-dwelling mushrooms that appear in folklore and fantasy literature. They are typically described as harmless, elusive fungi that fruit in damp woodland habitats during late summer and autumn.

The name likely derives from onomatopoeic impressions of tiny bells or noises attributed to forest spirits; etymology is not standardized across traditions, and the term is most prevalent in English-language storytelling.

In most depictions, tootmayles have a cap 0.5–2 cm in diameter, conical to bell-shaped, with a smooth surface that may be cream, ochre, or brown. The stem is slender, often translucent, and the gills are decurrent.

They are portrayed as saprotrophic or occasionally mycorrhizal with young trees; fruit bodies appear singly or in tiny clusters, sometimes forming fairy rings in mossy clearings.

In folklore, they are sometimes said to glow faintly at night, and legends hold that listening near a cluster can reveal secret forest messages. In modern fiction, tootmayles are used as magical ingredients or symbols of ephemeral nature.