Summary:
Clitocybe cerussata has 1) a whitish overall color, 2) a cap that becomes watery brown where pressed, 3) adnate to short-decurrent gills, 4) a stem that is equal or enlarged somewhat at the base, and 5) growth under conifers or hardwoods. The original description of Fries says "inodorus": Lincoff(1) following Singer(1975) and Kuehner & Romagnesi(1953), gives C. cerussata as synonym of C. phyllophila, which has a characteristic odor as well as a colored spore deposit. Moser(1) gives C. phyllophila (Fr.) Quel. as separate from this species, but describes C. cerussata as having a strong odor. Bigelow''s description of C. cerussata (Fr.) P. Kumm. with mild odor is given here, with Moser''s for comparison. Clitocybe cerussata var. difformis (Fr.) Bres. is according to Bigelow(5) a synonym for Clitocybe dilatata; the Index Fungorum, accessed February 14, 2015, lists Clitocybe cerussata (Fr.) P. Kumm. and Clitocybe cerussata var. difformis (Schumach.) Lincoff & Mitchel as synonyms of Clitocybe phyllophila.

Gills:
adnate to short-decurrent, close, narrow, forked at times; white or whitish; interveined at times, (Bigelow(5)), crowded, narrow (up to 0.3cm); whitish becoming dirty [dingy], (Moser), more or less decurrent, narrow, with subgills; white becoming creamy or yellowish (Schalkwijk-Barendsen)

Stem:
3-6cm x 0.3-1.6cm at top, equal or base enlarged somewhat, "usually straight and central, stuffed becoming hollow"; white from fibrils, with a watery buff background color; dull, matted-fibrillose at first becoming fibrillose-striate when old, base with tomentum, (Bigelow(5)), 4-8cm x 0.3-1.3cm, whitish becoming light flesh-ochraceous (Moser), up to 5cm long and up to 1cm wide; "white at first, later a bit pinkish", base brown; thick mycelium at base, (Schalkwijk-Barendsen)

Odor:
mild (Bigelow(5)), strong, with somewhat floury component (Moser), faint or a bit sweet (Schalkwijk-Barendsen)

Taste:
mild (Bigelow(5))

Microscopic spores:
spores 4-5.5(6) x 2.5-3.5(4) microns, broadly elliptic, smooth, inamyloid; basidia usually 4-spored, 16-27 x 3-6.5 microns; [pleurocystidia and cheilocystidia presumably absent]; clamp connections present, (Bigelow(5)), spores 4-5 x 2.5-3.5(4) microns (Moser)

Spore deposit:
white (Bigelow(5)), whitish to pinkish cream (Schalkwijk-Barendsen)

Notes:
Collections of C. cerussata (Fr.) P. Kumm. were examined from WA, OR, ID, NL, and MI, (Bigelow(5)). Schalkwijk-Barendsen reported C. cerussata from Yukon and Alberta. As of June 2020, there were 4 collections labeled Clitocybe cerussata from BC at the University of British Columbia, 1 of them designated var. difformis.

EDIBILITY

poisonous, containing muscarine, (Schalkwijk-Barendsen)