Field mushroom or St George's mushroom
How they differ, how to recognize them and which is more dangerous — a mushroom comparison
The short answer
Field mushroom and St George's mushroom are similar species that can be mixed up while foraging. The main visible difference: season: Field mushroom — spring, summer, autumn, St George's mushroom — spring. The mushrooms also differ in the following features: use, size, cap shape.

Field mushroom
Agaricus campestris

St George's mushroom
Calocybe gambosa
📊 Comparing characteristics
| Characteristic | Field mushroom | St George's mushroom |
|---|---|---|
| Edibility class | Field mushroom Edible | St George's mushroom Edible |
| Season | Field mushroom SpringSummerAutumn | St George's mushroom Spring |
| Use | Field mushroom CulinaryCook freshFreezing | St George's mushroom Cook freshDryingPickling |
| Size | Field mushroom Medium (5–15 cm) | St George's mushroom Large (over 15 cm) |
| Cap color | Field mushroom WhiteCream | St George's mushroom WhiteCream |
| Cap shape | Field mushroom ConvexFlat | St George's mushroom Convex |
| Cap surface | Field mushroom DrySmooth | St George's mushroom Smooth |
| Taste | Field mushroom Mild | St George's mushroom Mild |
| Smell | Field mushroom Pleasant, mushroomyAnise | St George's mushroom Floury |
| Flesh color change | Field mushroom Reddening | St George's mushroom No change |
| Hymenophore | Field mushroom Gilled | St George's mushroom Gilled |
| Stem | Field mushroom CentralSolid | St George's mushroom Central |
| Ring (veil) | Field mushroom Ring present | St George's mushroom No ring |
| Volva | Field mushroom No volva | St George's mushroom No volva |
| Substrate | Field mushroom Soil | St George's mushroom Soil |
| Nutrition type | Field mushroom Saprotroph | St George's mushroom Saprotroph |
📅 Seasonality
Field mushroom
Fruiting season
May – October
St George's mushroom
Fruiting season
April – June
🔬 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.
St George's mushroom
The cap is 5-15 cm across (large, fleshy); when young it is hemispherical with an inrolled margin, with age becoming flat-convex, and in old specimens flat and spread out with a wavy margin. The skin is smooth, dry and matte in wet weather, with a fine felty fibrousness. Color: creamy white, ochre-cream, with a faint brownish tint at the center; in old specimens creamy ochre. The margin is even — inrolled when young, wavy and irregular when old.
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.
St George's mushroom
Lamellate hymenophore: the gills are notched (emarginate) at the stem, very crowded, thin, fleshy. Color: pure white to creamy white, with no pink or green tint — a diagnostic feature (it sets the mushroom apart from the poisonous Entoloma sinuatum, whose gills turn pink). Spore print white.
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.
St George's mushroom
The stem is 3-7 cm tall, 1.5-3 cm thick — much shorter and thicker than the cap is wide (hence gambosa — "short-legged"). Cylindrical, thickening toward the base, firm, fleshy. Color: white to creamy white. Surface: smooth, with fine lengthwise fibers in the lower part. No ring.
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.
St George's mushroom
The flesh is very firm, fleshy, pure white. It does not change color when cut. Smell: distinctly mealy, sharp and characteristic (like freshly milled flour or dough); taste sweetish and nutty, with no bitterness.
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.
St George's mushroom
Distinctly mealy, like freshly milled flour or raw dough — a diagnostic feature, easy to notice on a cut surface.
📍 Habitats
Field mushroom
St George's mushroom
👀 Similar mushrooms — don't mix them up!
Death cap
Deadly poisonousYellow stainer
PoisonousHorse mushroom
EdibleButton mushroom
EdibleDeadly fibrecap
Deadly poisonousShield pinkgill
Conditionally edibleIvory funnel
PoisonousFool's funnel
PoisonousDeadly dapperling
Deadly poisonousLepiota helveola
Deadly poisonousWhite dapperling
UnknownDestroying angel
Deadly poisonousFairy ring champignon
EdibleAgaricus subperonatus
EdibleAgaricus squamuliferus
EdibleBlushing wood mushroom
EdibleAgaricus comtulus
EdibleAgaricus tabularis
EdiblePavement mushroom
EdibleSt George's mushroom
EdibleLivid pinkgill
PoisonousSplit fibrecap
PoisonousField mushroom
Edible❓ Frequently asked questions
Can Field mushroom and St George's mushroom be mixed up?
How to tell Field mushroom from St George's mushroom?
Is St George's mushroom edible?
When do Field mushroom and St George's mushroom grow?
Sources
- [1]Атлас грибів України, Зеров Д.К. (1979)
- [2]GBIF
- [3]Вікіпедія (українська)
- [4]MycoBank Database
- [5]Index Fungorum
- [6]iNaturalist Ukraine