St George's mushroom - Calocybe gambosa
- The Foraging Course Company
- Apr 14
- 3 min read
Edible mushroom - intermediate Season - spring (close to St George's day (23 April) Common names St George's mushroom
Scientific name meaning: Calocybe is derived from the ancient Greek words kalos, meaning pretty, and cubos, meaning head. The species name come from the Latin gambosus and means club footed - a reference to the often one-sided bulbousness of the stem base
Habitat  St George's mushroom can be found in grassland, on the edges of woodland, and near hedgerows and trees. In grassland it causes rings of lush-looking longer grass. It is a native of Western Europe |
Overall structure and growth  A saprobic mushroom living on dead and decaying organic matter under the soil. It grows in rings and partials rings, but can give the appearance of growing in clumps. It is often mis-shapen. |
Cap  Convex, firm and white, turning more buff as it ages. It has a smooth surface and is between 5-15cm in diameter. The edge of the cap often has one or more dents in it. It has a slightly inrolled margin, which is more pronounced when young but remains as the mushroom ages. |
Gills and spores  White and very narrow in comparison to the cap flesh. This can be seen when sliced in half from top to bottom to form a cross-section of the mushroom (see flesh, smell and taste). The gills are sinuate - having a tooth-like attachment to the stem. This gives the false appearance of a narrow gutter between the stem and the gills. |
Stem  Between 2 and 4cm wide and 3 to 7cm tall. It has a rough appearance - like fine pilling. There is no ring or volva. The base of the stem often bends out or is more swollen to one side. |
Flesh, smell and taste  The white flesh is solid and firm. The smell and taste are mealy, like wet flour. The spore colour is white. |
Possible lookalikes  Could be confused with deadly fibrecap (Inosperma erubescens), pictured, but this bruises red and does not have a mealy smell. There are other mushrooms that it could be mistaken for later in the year, and this is where date is an important identification point. |
Use as a food St George's Mushroom is one of the few mushrooms that can be eaten raw. It can also be pickled. However, the frying in butter is the most popular method to eat them. Cooking can remove some of the mealy odour/flavour.
This is also a good mushroom for dehydrating, as well as for using in stocks Hazards This mushroom likes to grow on roadside grass verges where it can accumulate pollutants. It is advisable to avoid harvesting from the sides of busy roads
Use in herbal medicine and medicine The antifungal properties of St George's mushroom are currently being researched.
If you are suffering from any ailment or need medical advice, please see your General Practitioner Other uses None known at time of writing Importance to other species Provides food for a the larvae of a number of fly species
Always stay safe when foraging. You need to be 100% sure of your identification, 100% sure that your foraged item is edible, and 100% sure that you are not allergic to it (it is good practice to always try a small amount of any new food you are consuming). If in doubt, leave it out!
Comments