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Field mushroom or Horse mushroom

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

The short answer

Field mushroom and Horse mushroom are similar species that can be mixed up while foraging. The main visible difference: season: Field mushroom — spring, summer, autumn, Horse mushroom — summer, autumn. The mushrooms also differ in the following features: use, size, cap shape.

Field mushroom (Agaricus campestris)

Field mushroom

Agaricus campestris

EdibleExpert-verified
Horse mushroom (Agaricus arvensis)

Horse mushroom

Agaricus arvensis

EdibleExpert-verified

📊 Comparing characteristics

Comparison of characteristics: Field mushroom and Horse mushroom
Edibility class

Field mushroom

Edible

Horse mushroom

Edible
Season

Field mushroom

SpringSummerAutumn

Horse mushroom

SummerAutumn
Use

Field mushroom

CulinaryCook freshFreezing

Horse mushroom

Cook freshDryingPickling
Size

Field mushroom

Medium (5–15 cm)

Horse mushroom

Large (over 15 cm)
Cap color

Field mushroom

WhiteCream

Horse mushroom

WhiteCream
Cap shape

Field mushroom

ConvexFlat

Horse mushroom

Convex
Cap surface

Field mushroom

DrySmooth

Horse mushroom

Smooth
Taste

Field mushroom

Mild

Horse mushroom

Mild
Smell

Field mushroom

Pleasant, mushroomyAnise

Horse mushroom

PleasantAniseAlmond
Flesh color change

Field mushroom

Reddening

Horse mushroom

Yellowing
Hymenophore

Field mushroom

Gilled

Horse mushroom

Gilled
Stem

Field mushroom

CentralSolid

Horse mushroom

Central
Ring (veil)

Field mushroom

Ring present

Horse mushroom

Ring present
Volva

Field mushroom

No volva

Horse mushroom

No volva
Substrate

Field mushroom

Soil

Horse mushroom

SoilDung
Nutrition type

Field mushroom

Saprotroph

Horse mushroom

Saprotroph

📅 Seasonality

Field mushroom

Fruiting season

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

May – October

Horse mushroom

Fruiting season

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

June – November

🔬 Morphology

Cap

Field mushroom

Cap 5–15 cm across, spherical in young mushrooms, then flat or slightly umbonate. The surface is white or slightly creamy and cracks in dry weather. Fibrous scales may appear as it matures. The margin is inrolled at first, then straight.

Horse mushroom

Cap 6-20 cm across; in young mushrooms firmly hemispherical to egg-shaped, the margin often rolled under. Later it becomes convex to flat. Color pure white to cream, with subtle yellowish tints in old mushrooms; spots yellow to ocher when touched. Surface smooth, slightly sticky in wet weather, dry and matte in dry weather. Sometimes with fine fibrous scales in the center.

Hymenophore

Field mushroom

Gills free (not reaching the stem), crowded, delicate pink at first, then bright pink, and chocolate-brown or blackish in mature mushrooms. The pink color of the gills is a key safety feature that distinguishes the field mushroom from poisonous species with white gills.

Horse mushroom

Gilled hymenophore — gills free, crowded. When young — grayish-white, with a pinkish tinge, becoming with age dark brown, chocolate-blackish. Spore print dark brown.

Stem

Field mushroom

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

Horse mushroom

Stem 6-12 cm tall, 1.5-3 cm thick, thick, fleshy, cylindrical, slightly thickened at the base. Color white to cream. On the upper part — a large membranous double ring with a characteristic "toothed" lower edge (like a cogwheel) — a diagnostic feature of the species.

Flesh

Field mushroom

Flesh firm, white, turns slightly pink when cut or stays unchanged. It does not turn yellow (yellowing is a sign of poisonous species). The taste is pleasant and richly mushroomy.

Horse mushroom

Flesh firm, meaty, white; when cut it slowly yellows in the flesh of the cap and upper stem. Does not redden (unlike A. silvaticus). The smell is a distinct anise-almond — a characteristic feature of the species.

Smell

Field mushroom

Smell pronounced, anise-almond with mushroomy notes. This is one of the most aromatic wild mushrooms. With cooking the aroma intensifies and can dominate the dish.

Horse mushroom

Distinctly anise-almond, fruity — the most characteristic diagnostic sign. It comes out when you rub the flesh between your fingers. This smell is one of the most pleasant mushroom experiences in field foraging.

📍 Habitats

Field mushroom

MeadowField

Horse mushroom

Deciduous forest

👀 Similar mushrooms — don't mix them up!

❓ Frequently asked questions

Can Field mushroom and Horse mushroom be mixed up?
Yes, they look so similar that people often mix them up. The season, use, size help tell them apart.
How to tell Field mushroom from Horse mushroom?
The main differences: season: Field mushroom — spring, summer, autumn, Horse mushroom — summer, autumn; use: Field mushroom — culinary, cook fresh, freezing, Horse mushroom — cook fresh, drying, pickling; size: Field mushroom — medium (5–15 cm), Horse mushroom — large (over 15 cm). The full table of characteristics is higher up on this page.
Is Horse mushroom edible?
Horse mushroom — edible.
When do Field mushroom and Horse mushroom grow?
Field mushroom — May–October; Horse mushroom — June–November.

Sources

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