Clustered domecap or Deer shield

How they differ, how to recognize them and which is more dangerous — a mushroom comparison

The short answer

Clustered domecap and Deer shield are similar species that can be mixed up while foraging. The main visible difference: season: Clustered domecap — summer, autumn, Deer shield — spring, summer, autumn. The mushrooms also differ in the following features: use, cap color, smell.

Clustered domecap

Lyophyllum decastes

EdibleExpert-verified

Deer shield

Pluteus cervinus

EdibleExpert-verified

📊 Comparing characteristics

Comparison of characteristics: Clustered domecap and Deer shield
Characteristic	Clustered domecap	Deer shield
Edibility class	Clustered domecap Edible	Deer shield Edible
Season	Clustered domecap SummerAutumn	Deer shield SpringSummerAutumn
Use	Clustered domecap Cook freshDrying	Deer shield Cook freshPickling
Size	Clustered domecap Medium (5–15 cm)	Deer shield Medium (5–15 cm)
Cap color	Clustered domecap GreyBrownCream	Deer shield BrownDark brownGrey
Cap shape	Clustered domecap Convex	Deer shield Convex
Cap surface	Clustered domecap Smooth	Deer shield Smooth
Taste	Clustered domecap Mild	Deer shield Mild
Smell	Clustered domecap Odorless	Deer shield Radish-likeOdorless
Flesh color change	Clustered domecap No change	Deer shield No change
Hymenophore	Clustered domecap Gilled	Deer shield Gilled
Stem	Clustered domecap Central	Deer shield Central
Ring (veil)	Clustered domecap No ring	Deer shield No ring
Volva	Clustered domecap No volva	Deer shield No volva
Substrate	Clustered domecap SoilForest litter	Deer shield On woodDead wood
Nutrition type	Clustered domecap Saprotroph	Deer shield Saprotroph
Partner trees	Clustered domecap —	Deer shield OakBeechHornbeamAspenBirch

📅 Seasonality

Clustered domecap

Fruiting season

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

July – November

Deer shield

Fruiting season

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

May – October

🔬 Morphology

Cap

Clustered domecap

Cap 4–12 cm, hemispherical in young mushrooms, then flattening to plano-convex, almost flat in old ones, with a slightly raised center. The color varies: grayish, brownish, ochre, sometimes almost white or chocolate. The surface is smooth, dry, slightly sticky in wet weather. The skin does not peel.

Deer shield

Cap 4-12 cm across, hemispherical to conical-convex with an umbo when young, later becoming convex-flat with a low umbo. Color brownish-gray, deer-brown, dark brown, darker when young, fading to gray-brown with age. Surface smooth with fine, darker radial fibers, slightly sticky in wet weather.

Hymenophore

Clustered domecap

Gills attached to the stem or slightly decurrent. White when young, turning yellowish with age, cream with an ochre tint in mature mushrooms. Crowded. Spore print white.

Deer shield

Gilled hymenophore: the gills are free (not attached to the stem), crowded. When young they are whitish, later turning pink from the mature pink spores. Spore print PINK: a characteristic feature of the genus Pluteus (though pinkgills, Volvariella and some other mushrooms have pink spores too).

Stem

Clustered domecap

Stem 5–10 cm tall, 1–3 cm thick, cylindrical, sometimes somewhat curved because of the clustered growth. Whitish gray, with no ring and no volva. At the base it is often fused with others in the cluster, forming a shared "heel".

Deer shield

Stem 5-12 cm tall, 0.8-1.5 cm thick, cylindrical, long, relatively thin, often thickened toward the base. Color whitish to gray-brown, with fine, darker lengthwise fibers. No ring, no volva: diagnostic against amanitas.

Flesh

Clustered domecap

Flesh white, springy in young mushrooms, becoming cottony and moist with age. Does NOT change color when cut. The texture is slightly cartilaginous in the stem, more tender in the cap.

Deer shield

Flesh soft, watery, white. When cut, it does not change color. Smell faint; in some populations with a hint of radish.

Smell

Clustered domecap

Smell faint, mushroomy, without distinctive notes. Taste mild, bland and neutral. Some specimens have a barely noticeable sweetish note.

Deer shield

Faint, neutral, mushroomy; in some populations with a hint of radish or raw potato.

📍 Habitats

Clustered domecap

Deciduous forestMixed forest

Deer shield

Deciduous forestMixed forest

👀 Similar mushrooms — don't mix them up!

Clouded funnel

Honey fungus

Deer shield

Poisonpie

Lyophyllum immundum

Livid pinkgill

Clustered domecap

❓ Frequently asked questions

Can Clustered domecap and Deer shield be mixed up?

Yes, they look so similar that people often mix them up. The season, use, cap color help tell them apart.

How to tell Clustered domecap from Deer shield?

The main differences: season: Clustered domecap — summer, autumn, Deer shield — spring, summer, autumn; use: Clustered domecap — cook fresh, drying, Deer shield — cook fresh, pickling; cap color: Clustered domecap — grey, brown, cream, Deer shield — brown, dark brown, grey. The full table of characteristics is higher up on this page.

Is Deer shield edible?

Deer shield — edible.

When do Clustered domecap and Deer shield grow?

Clustered domecap — July–November; Deer shield — May–October.

Sources

[1]Вікіпедія (українська)
[2]Атлас грибів України, Зеров Д.К. (1979)
[3]MycoBank Database
[4]Index Fungorum
[5]GBIF
[6]iNaturalist Ukraine