About this fungus
Field Mushroom is a fungus in the Agaricaceae family. Its habitat and field characteristics are summarised below.
A white to cream mushroom of short grass, pasture and lawns. Its free gills begin pink, pass through brown and become very dark brown as the spores mature. A thin, fragile ring may remain on the stem or disappear with age.
What to check
Expose the whole stem base and check the complete set of characters. Field Mushroom has no volva, its gills are free and become pink before darkening, and its spore print is dark brown. Young closed buttons may not yet show useful gill colour, so they are much harder to identify safely. Slight pinkish bruising can occur, but a rapid chrome-yellow reaction, especially at the cut stem base, points toward Yellow Stainer or a related species.
Variation
Caps are usually smooth and white, sometimes cream or pale grey, and may develop fine scales with age. The cap expands from rounded to convex and then nearly flat. The delicate ring can be lost, while dry weather or age may make both colour and bruising less obvious.
Lookalikes
Yellow Stainer, Agaricus xanthodermus, can look very similar but normally stains bright yellow quickly at the stem base and often has an inky or phenolic smell. Other regional Agaricus species may need microscopy or specialist knowledge. White Amanita species retain white gills and a white spore print and have a volva at the base, but young closed specimens can conceal these distinctions. No single negative test proves an identification.
Habitat and range
Saprotrophic in grazed pasture, meadows, parks, playing fields and lawns, often appearing in groups, arcs or rings after suitable moisture. It is widely recorded across temperate regions, but local Agaricus lookalikes differ between continents.
Food safety
Choice edible.
Use this profile to learn what to examine and compare, not as proof that a mushroom is safe to eat. Check the whole specimen and every important lookalike before reaching an identification.
Photographs
Byrain / CC BY-SA 3.0
Ak ccm / CC BY-SA 3.0
Christine Braaten (wintersbefore) / CC BY-SA 3.0Species to compare
Similar mushrooms to compare against: