Spring Fieldcap vs Deadly Conocybe
Agrocybe praecox compared with Conocybe filaris — how to tell them apart in the field.
This is a dangerous confusion.
At least one of these species is potentially deadly. Never eat a wild mushroom based on a photo comparison alone — verify with local experts.
How to Tell Them Apart
DEADLY. Much smaller and more fragile than A. praecox, with a rusty cinnamon spore print (not dark brown). The stem is very thin (1-3 mm) compared to the sturdier A. praecox stem. Both can grow in lawns and wood chip beds. Always take a spore print.
Larger (3-8 cm cap), sturdier build, with a more persistent ring and a pale buff to yellowish cap. Grows in similar lawn and garden habitats but is significantly more robust. Spore print is dark brown, not rusty cinnamon.
Side-by-Side Identification
| Trait | Spring Fieldcap | Deadly Conocybe |
|---|---|---|
| Cap | 3-8 cm across. Convex when young, expanding to broadly convex or flat, sometimes with a low umbo. Pale buff to tan or light brown, smooth, slightly hygrophanous (drying paler from center). Surface may crack in dry weather. Flesh is white, firm. | 1-2.5 cm across. Conical to bell-shaped, sometimes flattening slightly with age. Tawny brown to ochre-brown, smooth, slightly sticky when moist. Hygrophanous, drying to a paler buff from the center outward. Surface often has fine radial striations when moist. |
| Gills | Attached (adnate to slightly sinuate). Pale grayish when young, darkening to brown and then dark brown as spores mature. Moderately crowded. | Attached (adnate to adnexed), fairly crowded. Pale cinnamon-brown when young, darkening to rusty brown as spores mature. Thin and fragile. |
| Stem | 4-10 cm tall, 5-12 mm thick. White to pale buff, relatively sturdy for the cap size. Has a thin, membranous ring (annulus) that is often fragile and may disappear. Below the ring, the stem may have faint longitudinal striations. Base sometimes slightly bulbous with white mycelial strands. | 3-7 cm tall, 1-3 mm thick. Very slender and fragile, pale brownish, often with a thin, membranous ring (annulus) in the upper third. The ring is easily lost or collapsed against the stem. Base may be slightly enlarged. |
| Spore print | Dark brown to chocolate brown. | Rusty brown to cinnamon-brown. Always take a spore print on any small brown lawn mushroom before making any identification. |
| Odor | Mealy or farinaceous, like fresh flour. This is a helpful identification feature when fresh. | Mild, not distinctive. Some report a faintly earthy or mealy smell. |
| Habitat | Saprotrophic on decomposing wood chips, garden mulch, straw, compost, and organic-rich disturbed soil. Common on lawns, park paths, garden borders, flower beds, and any landscaped area with organic amendments. Also found in grasslands and along roadsides. | Saprotrophic on decaying organic matter. Found in lawns, gardens, flower beds, wood chip mulch, compost, and disturbed grassy areas. Prefers moist, nutrient-rich soils. Common in suburban and urban settings. |
| Season | Spring through early summer, typically April through June in temperate regions. One of the earliest mushrooms to fruit each year, often appearing within days of the first warm spring rains. Occasional autumn fruitings occur but are less common. | Spring through autumn in temperate regions. Peak fruiting after warm rains in late spring and early fall. Can appear year-round in mild, wet climates. |
Found one of these in the wild? Don't rely on memory — identify it from a photo with Orangutany and check it against both species before you touch it.