Common Fieldcap

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

NNR - Unranked

Minnesota

not listed

Description

Common Fieldcap is a small to medium-sized, grass loving, gilled mushroom. It is common and very widespread, occurring worldwide on every continent except Antarctica. It occurs throughout the United States, southern Canada, and Mexico. It appears to be common in Minnesota but see the note in Distribution below.

Common Fieldcap is found in summer and fall, alone or in groups but not clustered (gregarious), in open grassy areas including meadows and lawns, and in gardens, disturbed areas, and cultivated areas. It grows usually on the ground, occasionally on manure, compost, and woodchips. It obtains its nutrients from decayed organic matter (saprobic).

When it first appears, the cap is hemispherical to convex and medium yellowish brown (dark honey colored). The margin is slightly curved inward, and there is often a thin strip of white tissue, remnants of the partial veil, clinging to it. The surface is sometimes sticky. As it ages, it spreads out and the color fades. The mature cap is ⅜″ to 1 3⁄16″ (1 to 3 cm) in diameter, broadly convex to nearly flat, and pale brownish yellow. Most or all of the veil remnants on the margin have fallen away. The surface is bald and smooth, and it is slightly tacky when moist. With age, it often develops fissuring that appears as dark, irregular lines across the cap.

The gills are moderately broad and closely spaced. They are broadly attached to the stalk (adnate) at first, often pulling away as the cap ages. They are pale yellow at first, becoming dark brown as the spores mature. There are frequent secondary, short gills between the main gills.

The stalk is ¾″ to 3⅛″ (2 to 8 cm) long, and 1⁄16″ to ⅛″ (2 to 4 mm) thick. It is more or less equal from top to bottom, and it is sometimes twisted. It is pale or yellowish brown, and often lighter above and darker below.

The flesh is thin and whitish, and it does not change color when sliced. It is edible but should be avoided due to its similarity in appearance to other poisonous little brown mushrooms (“LBMs”).

The spore print is brown.

Similar Species

Habitat and Hosts

Open grassy areas: meadows lawns, gardens, disturbed areas, and cultivated areas

Ecology

Season

Summer and fall

Distribution

Sources

24, 30, 77, 83.

Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu. Accessed 3/11/2026).

Agrocybe pediades (Fr.) Fayod in GBIF Secretariat (2023). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org. Accessed 3/11/2026.

Mycology Collections Portal (MyCoPortal) https://www.mycoportal.org/portal/collections/index.php). Accessed 3/11/2026.