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    Fairy ring champignon

    Marasmius oreades (Bolton) Fr. · Marasmiaceae

    Also: Fairy ring mushroom, Scotch bonnet

    ✓ EdibleRisk of confusion: high

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    Identification in 5 steps

    Fairy ring champignon
    Photo: Svencapoeira · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

    The fairy ring champignon is a small meadow mushroom with a cream to buff cap, widely spaced gills and a tough, elastic stem. It likes to grow in rings and rows on meadows, lawns and path verges and is a popular seasoning mushroom. It contains small amounts of hydrogen cyanide (prussic acid) and must therefore be cooked thoroughly.

    SeasonMay to November
    Spore printwhite
    FamilyMarasmiaceae
    1. Cap. The cap measures about 2 to 6 cm, is bell-shaped at first and later flat with a bump, cream to buff, and darker when damp.
    2. Underside. The gills are widely spaced, cream-coloured, and free or barely attached to the stem.
    3. Stem, ring and volva. The stem is slender, tough and elastic, and can be bent and twisted without breaking. There is no ring and no volva.
    4. Smell and taste. The smell is slightly sweet, like almonds or hydrogen cyanide, and the taste is mild.
    5. Flesh and colour change. The flesh is thin and tough. A striking colour change is not one of its features.

    Lookalikes

    The fairy ring champignon is a small, edible mushroom that often grows in fairy rings on meadows. It has poisonous look-alikes, including whitish funnel caps (poisonous) and the deadly dapperling (deadly poisonous). So identify it with certainty.

    Clitocybe quisquiliarum

    poisonous

    Also pale, with no tough stem and with decurrent gills. It often grows in similar places to the fairy ring champignon. Poisonous, contains muscarine.

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    Side by side

    Fairy ring champignonDeadly dapperlingFool's funnelClitocybe quisquiliarum
    Cap2 to 6 cm, cream to buff, with a bumpflesh-brown, with fine scalesgrey-brown to whitish, flat to dentedpale brown to whitish, funnel-shaped
    Undersidewidely spaced, cream-coloured gillscrowded, white gillsdecurrent, more crowded gillsdecurrent, more crowded gills
    Stemslender, tough and elastic, no ringwith a ring zone, not tough and elasticslender, not tough and elasticslender, soft, not tough and elastic
    Fleshthin-fleshed, toughthin-fleshed, tendersoft, thin-fleshedsoft, thin-fleshed
    EdibilityEdibledeadly poisonouspoisonouspoisonous

    Habitat & Season

    Meadows, lawns, pastures and path verges, often in fairy rings. No reliable information.

    Host trees

    None; it grows as a saprotroph on grassland.

    Season

    possible good main season

    Rough estimate; the fruiting period depends on the weather. After rain, several flushes often appear.

    Mushroom regions with a daily forecast

    There are no records per region for this species yet. The country pages lead to all regions with a daily forecast.

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    Chance near you

    How good are the chances of finding this species where you are right now? We calculate it from weather, soil moisture, altitude and forest at your location.

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    Safety

    Never eat a mushroom you have not identified with certainty. Only eat mushrooms you have identified beyond doubt, and always cook them thoroughly.

    Advice for your country

    United Kingdom

    Poison centre:

    NHS 111 (England)111

    Emergency: 999 · 112

    Ireland

    Poison centre:

    National Poisons Information Centre (public line)(01) 809 2166

    Emergency: 112 · 999

    Germany

    Poison centre:

    Giftnotruf Berlin030 19240Giftinformationszentrum München089 19240GIZ-Nord Göttingen0551 19240

    Emergency: 112

    Mushroom advice: DGfM: find a mushroom expert. Certified mushroom experts of the German Mycological Society (DGfM).

    Collecting rules: Mushrooms that are not specially protected may be collected in small quantities for personal use unless a protected area or ban applies. Certain specially protected edible species (e.g. cep, chanterelle, birch bolete) may be collected in small quantities for personal use.

    Austria

    Poison centre:

    Vergiftungsinformationszentrale (VIZ)01 406 43 43

    Emergency: 112 · 144

    Mushroom advice: Austrian Mycological Society (ÖMG): mushroom advice. Mushroom advice by the Austrian Mycological Society or regional services such as municipal market offices.

    Collecting rules: At most 2 kg of mushrooms per person per day unless the forest owner has prohibited collecting; organised collecting events are prohibited. Additional state rules apply (collecting hours, closed seasons), e.g. Carinthia, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Salzburg.

    Conservation and collecting rules

    Not specially protected.

    In the kitchen

    Use only the caps with the top of the stem; remove the tough stem. Good for seasoning sauces, soups and pan dishes. It can also be fried briefly, but do not undercook it. Cook for at least 15 minutes.

    Dries well; dried mushrooms are used as a seasoning mushroom. Contains small amounts of hydrogen cyanide (prussic acid), so cook thoroughly. Use only specimens identified with certainty. The deadly dapperling is deadly poisonous.

    Frequently asked questions

    Is the fairy ring champignon edible?

    Yes, it is considered a good seasoning mushroom. It contains small amounts of hydrogen cyanide (prussic acid) and must therefore be cooked thoroughly. It must not be eaten raw.

    How do I recognise the fairy ring champignon?

    By the small, cream to buff cap, the widely spaced gills and the tough, elastic stem. It often grows in rings on meadows.

    What can it be confused with?

    With poisonous funnel caps and the deadly dapperling, which is deadly poisonous. These have more crowded gills and no tough, elastic stem.

    Related species

    Mushroom trainer: test yourself

    Sources

    Photo credits

    No substitute for having your finds checked in person. No guarantee of accuracy. Updated: 17.10.2026.

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