Field mushroom or Egghead mottlegill

Cap 5–15 cm across, spherical when young, then flat or slightly umbonate. White or slightly creamy, cracking in dry weather; fibrous scales may appear as it matures. The margin is inrolled at first, then straight.

The cap is 2 to 6 cm across, sometimes up to 9 cm. It's egg-shaped when young, then like half an egg or a blunt cone, only rarely convex. The margin isn't lined; it overhangs the gills and sometimes carries scraps of veil.

It's whitish, cream or pale clay-coloured, darker in the centre, and fades with age. When wet it's sticky; when dry it's smooth and shiny, often wrinkled or cracked.

Gills free (not reaching the stem) and crowded: soft pink at first, then bright pink, and chocolate-brown or blackish in mature mushrooms. Pink gills are a key safety feature that sets the field mushroom apart from poisonous species with white gills.

The gills are attached, crowded and broad. They start off whitish or greyish, become mottled with black patches and end up black, with whitish edges.

The spore print is black.

Stem 4–8 cm tall, 1–2 cm thick, cylindrical, solid and straight. White. A firm membranous ring sits in the middle of the stem, a characteristic feature. No volva.

The stem is 6 to 15 cm tall and 3 to 10 mm thick, long and slender compared with the cap, whitish or cap-coloured, paler and finely powdery at the top, slightly swollen at the base, brittle and hollow.

Above the middle there's a thin white ring that turns black on top from spores. It's fragile and can fall off, so look for it on young specimens.

Flesh firm and white; it turns slightly pink when cut or stays unchanged. It doesn’t turn yellow (yellowing is a sign of poisonous species). The taste is pleasant and richly mushroomy.

The flesh is thin, soft and whitish, pale yellowish and brittle in the stem, and doesn't change colour when cut.

A pronounced smell of anise and almond with mushroomy notes, making it one of the most aromatic wild mushrooms. Cooking intensifies the aroma, and it can dominate the dish.

The smell is indistinct.