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Mycetinis scorodonius or Fairy ring champignon

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

The short answer

Mycetinis scorodonius and Fairy ring champignon are similar species that can be mixed up while foraging. The main visible difference: season: Mycetinis scorodonius — summer, autumn, Fairy ring champignon — spring, summer, autumn. The mushrooms also differ in the following features: use, size, cap color.

📊 Comparing characteristics

Comparison of characteristics: Mycetinis scorodonius and Fairy ring champignon
Edibility class

Mycetinis scorodonius

Edible

Fairy ring champignon

Edible
Season

Mycetinis scorodonius

SummerAutumn

Fairy ring champignon

SpringSummerAutumn
Use

Mycetinis scorodonius

Drying

Fairy ring champignon

Cook freshDryingPicklingMedicinal
Size

Mycetinis scorodonius

Very small (<3 cm)

Fairy ring champignon

Small (up to 5 cm)
Cap color

Mycetinis scorodonius

CreamPinkYellow

Fairy ring champignon

CreamYellowOrange
Cap shape

Mycetinis scorodonius

Convex

Fairy ring champignon

Umbonate
Cap surface

Mycetinis scorodonius

Smooth

Fairy ring champignon

Smooth
Taste

Mycetinis scorodonius

Mild

Fairy ring champignon

Mild
Smell

Mycetinis scorodonius

Pleasant

Fairy ring champignon

PleasantAlmond
Flesh color change

Mycetinis scorodonius

No change

Fairy ring champignon

No change
Hymenophore

Mycetinis scorodonius

Gilled

Fairy ring champignon

Gilled
Stem

Mycetinis scorodonius

Central

Fairy ring champignon

Central
Ring (veil)

Mycetinis scorodonius

No ring

Fairy ring champignon

No ring
Volva

Mycetinis scorodonius

No volva

Fairy ring champignon

No volva
Substrate

Mycetinis scorodonius

Forest litterDead wood

Fairy ring champignon

Soil
Nutrition type

Mycetinis scorodonius

Saprotroph

Fairy ring champignon

Saprotroph
Partner trees

Mycetinis scorodonius

OakHornbeamHazelBirch

Fairy ring champignon

—

📅 Seasonality

Mycetinis scorodonius

Fruiting season

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

June – October

Fairy ring champignon

Fruiting season

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

May – November

🔬 Morphology

Cap

Mycetinis scorodonius

Cap 0.5-2 cm, very small. Hemispherical at first, then flattening out, with a small bump in the center. Color pinkish-cream, creamy ochre, a little darker in the center. The surface is smooth and slightly sticky in damp weather. The cap margin is even, slightly wavy in mature specimens.

Fairy ring champignon

Cap 2-5 cm across, hemispherical when young, becoming convex-flat over time with a distinct low umbo in the center. Color light ocher, creamy beige, reddish cream, darker in wet weather, paler in dry. Surface smooth, slightly sticky in wet weather. The cap margin often has fine grooves. A unique trait: a dried-out cap can "revive" after rain — it regains its shape and the gills resume releasing spores.

Hymenophore

Mycetinis scorodonius

Gilled hymenophore. The gills are distant, often with cross-veins (anastomoses), attached or free. Color white to cream. Spore print white.

Fairy ring champignon

Gilled hymenophore — the gills are distant, broad, whitish to cream, with a distinctive attachment to the stem (often free or notched). Spore print white. The contrast of distant broad gills + white spore print are diagnostic features.

Stem

Mycetinis scorodonius

The stem is thin, reddish-brown to dark chestnut, 2-5 cm tall, 0.1-0.2 cm thick, cylindrical, smooth and shiny. Unlike the garlic parachute, its color is not black but reddish, brick-colored. No ring and no volva.

Fairy ring champignon

Stem 4-8 cm tall, 0.2-0.5 cm thick, thin, cylindrical, very fibrous and springy — it practically doesn't snap when bent. Color light cream to ocher, matching the cap. Surface smooth, with no ring and no volva. It doesn't snap — it only bends — a diagnostic feature.

Flesh

Mycetinis scorodonius

Flesh very thin, springy and crisp, not watery. There's almost none in the cap. The mushroom dries perfectly — air, sun, and in a day or two it's parchment-like and keeps its aroma for months.

Fairy ring champignon

Flesh thin in the cap, fibrous in the stem, white to cream. When cut it does not change color. A distinct, pleasant mushroom smell with a fruity or almond note. Taste mild and aromatic.

Smell

Mycetinis scorodonius

A strong smell of fresh garlic — the key feature. You can smell a single specimen half a meter away. The smell grows stronger as it dries. The flesh tastes mild, purely of garlic, with no heat.

Fairy ring champignon

A distinct, pleasant mushroom smell with a fruity-almond note. It opens up when you rub the flesh and especially when dried. This is one of the most aromatic Ukrainian mushrooms.

📍 Habitats

Mycetinis scorodonius

Deciduous forestMixed forest

Fairy ring champignon

Deciduous forest

👀 Similar mushrooms — don't mix them up!

❓ Frequently asked questions

Can Mycetinis scorodonius and Fairy ring champignon 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 Mycetinis scorodonius from Fairy ring champignon?
The main differences: season: Mycetinis scorodonius — summer, autumn, Fairy ring champignon — spring, summer, autumn; use: Mycetinis scorodonius — drying, Fairy ring champignon — cook fresh, drying, pickling, medicinal; size: Mycetinis scorodonius — very small (<3 cm), Fairy ring champignon — small (up to 5 cm). The full table of characteristics is higher up on this page.
Is Fairy ring champignon edible?
Fairy ring champignon — edible.
When do Mycetinis scorodonius and Fairy ring champignon grow?
Mycetinis scorodonius — June–October; Fairy ring champignon — May–November.

Sources

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