Calocybe gambosa

St. George's mushroom

Scientific identification: Calocybe gambosa (Fr.) Donk
Family: Lyophyllaceae
Class: Agaricomycetes
Genus: Calocybe

Names across languages

English: St. George's mushroom
German: Maipilz
Finnish: Kevätkaunolakki
Estonian: Kevad-võluheinik
Russian: Калоцибе майская

The scientific profile

From the latest record: 2026-05-30.

Hymenium

Gills, white to cream-colored, crowded

Cap

convex to flat with age, smooth surface, color ranging from white to yellowish or pale ochre, margin often inrolled when young

Hymenium Attachment

Sinuate (notched)

Stipe

Stout, white to yellowish, sometimes slightly bulbous at the base, surface smooth, lacking a ring

Spore print

Spore print white.

Ecology

Ecology saprotrophic, occasionally mycorrhizal, grasslands, meadows, roadside verges, woodlands, calcareous soils, fairy rings, may till june

Edibility

Choice edible, highly prized in various European cuisines, traditionally consumed sautéed or in omelettes

Fruit body

Fruit body medium to large, stipe 3–10 cm long and 1–4 cm thick

Dimensions

Cap 3–15 cm in diameter

Chemical reactions

No significant color change observed

Odour

Distinctive mealy, cucumber-like smell

Taste

Mild and mealy

Microscopy

Spores ellipsoid, smooth, measuring 4–7 × 2–3.5 µm, inamyloid

Overview

Fruits in spring, often around St. George's Day (April 23), hence the common name St. George's Mushroom

1962). Beih. Nova Hedwigia 5: 43.

https://www.gbif.org/species/8936224

Field encounters

30/May/26, 12:39 PM

Maarjamäe, Tallinn, Eesti

Park zone with Salix and Alnus spp, grassland, in form of fairy ring

59°27'14.4"N 24°48'51.1"E

🌡️ 16°C ☀️ Sunny 💨 Wind 320° NW->SE, 17 km/h

Original Instagram post

19/May/25, 3:40 PM

Maarjamäe, Tallinn, Eesti

Park zone with Salix spp, grassland, in form of fairy ring

59°27'14.4"N 24°48'51.1"E

🌡️ 17°C 🌦️ after some rains

Original Instagram post

Source hashtags

#calocybegambosa #mushroomphoto #fungiofinstagram #springfungi #fungimacro #sonyalpha #calocybe #stgeorgesmushroom #võluheinik #kevätkaunolakki #panterkärbseseen #kevadvõluheinik #maipilz #mayfungi #fungiphoto #naturephotography #seenefotod #pilzefotografieren #фотогрибов #sieniäkuvia #forestwalk #mycology #fungistudy #mushroomhunt #mushroom #fungi #estonianfungi #ediblefungi #seened #pilze

Back to the collection · Photography and field notes by @fungarium.info