EdibleMarasmiaceae
Marasmius oreades
Fairy ring champignon
Tough-stemmed lawn mushroom that grows in arcs and rings.
- Cap
- Convex with a broad umbo, 2-5 cm, tan to buff, drying paler.
- Gills
- Widely spaced, pale cream, free to adnexed.
- Stem
- 30-70 mm, very tough and pliant, pale tan.
- Flesh
- Thin, does not blue.
- Spore print
- White
- Habitat
- Lawns, pasture and grassy verges, in rings and arcs.
- Distribution
- Worldwide in temperate regions.
- Season
- Late spring to autumn.
- Bruising
- None.
- Odour
- Sweet, almond-like.
Key features
- ▪Grows in rings and arcs
- ▪Extremely tough, twistable stem
- ▪White spore print
- ▪Widely spaced pale gills
Field tests
- White spore print rules out Psilocybe
- Try to twist the stem - it will not snap
Edibility
Edible and prized, but grows alongside toxic Clitocybe species in the same rings.
Warning
Deadly Clitocybe rivulosa shares lawn rings and has crowded white gills.
Lookalikes
Clitocybe rivulosa (fools funnel)deadly
Clitocybe has crowded, decurrent white gills and a brittle stem; Marasmius has widely spaced gills and a tough, twistable stem.
Photo and feature-based identification is probabilistic. Never consume a wild mushroom on the basis of an app result — confirm with an experienced mycologist.