Fairy ring champignon

Yes, it is a well-known edible; only the caps are eaten, cooked. The real risk is mixing it up with poisonous white funnels growing in the same lawn.

Not itself. Poisonings come from muscarine-containing species such as Clitocybe rivulosa and C. dealbata slipping in among the picked champignons.

Look for all of these together: widely spaced thick gills, a tan cap with a central bump, a tough stem that twists instead of snapping, a white spore print and growth in rings in grass.

Our Turkish records peak in October, November and December; it also appears after rain in spring and September.

In meadows, pastures, parks and garden lawns, without needing trees. Our map data has records from Istanbul, Bolu, Manisa, Giresun, Kırklareli, Ankara and Trabzon.

Remove the tough stems and sauté the caps in butter, or add them to soups, sauces and omelettes. They dry well and soften again when soaked.

The fairy ring champignon is sometimes sold fresh online in season under the name mıh tepesi, but supply is irregular and prices vary. We do not list current prices.

It is the ring of mushrooms and darker grass formed as the underground mycelium spreads outward each year. The fairy ring champignon is the best-known ring-forming species.

Its Turkish name on iNaturalist is mıhbaşı mantarı.

Mıhlıca is a local name for the fairy ring champignon (Marasmius oreades), an edible species; do not confuse it with the poisonous white funnel mushrooms in the same lawns.

Cincile, the fairy ring champignon, appears in meadows and pastures after rain from spring to late autumn; our Turkish records peak in October–December.

The fairy ring champignon has thin flesh, dries easily and keeps well dried; it softens again when soaked before use.

Yes, fairy ring champignon is an edible species. Eat a wild one only after an expert has identified it with certainty: it can be confused with Fool's funnel (Clitocybe rivulosa), ivory funnel (Clitocybe dealbata) and deadly fibrecap (Inosperma erubescens). The fairy ring champignon is edible, but the white funnels that grow in the same lawns (Clitocybe rivulosa, C. dealbata) cause muscarine poisoning. Check every single mushroom: widely spaced gills, a bumped cap and a tough, twisting stem must all be present. Do not eat anything you are unsure of; if poisoning is suspected, call poison control and keep any leftover mushroom.

In our calendar, fairy ring champignon season runs Apr–May, Sep–Dec. The fairy ring champignon comes up in grassland after rain; our records cluster in October, November and December, with a few in spring and September.

Pastures, meadows, lawns, parks and grassy verges; it is not tied to trees. It usually grows in rings or arcs, in large troops, and can leave a ring of darker green grass.

Our map data (GBIF and iNaturalist) holds 12 Turkish records: Istanbul, Bolu, Manisa, Giresun, Kırklareli, Ankara and Trabzon. The species is common in grassland but under-recorded.

Fairy ring champignon can be confused with Fool's funnel (Clitocybe rivulosa, poisonous), ivory funnel (Clitocybe dealbata, poisonous), deadly fibrecap (Inosperma erubescens, deadly) and pale brittlestem (Candolleomyces candolleanus, inedible). Look-alikes are compared on this page.

In Turkish, fairy ring champignon (Marasmius oreades) is called Mıhbaşı mantarı; other local names include mıh başı mantarı, mıh tepesi, mıhlıca, mıhcık and cincile.