Mycena haematopus, commonly known as the
bleeding fairy helmet, the
burgundydrop bonnet, or the
bleeding Mycena, is a species of
fungus in the
Mycenaceae family, of the order
Agaricales. It is widespread and common in Europe and North America, and has also been collected in Japan and Venezuela. It is
saprotrophic—meaning that it obtains nutrients by consuming decomposing organic matter—and the
fruit bodies appear in small groups or clusters on the decaying logs, trunks, and stumps of
deciduous trees, particularly
beech. The fungus, first described scientifically in 1799, is
classified in the
section Lactipedes of the genus
Mycena, along with other species that produce a milky or colored
latex.