Common Fieldcap vs Common Fig

Agrocybe pediades compared with Ficus carica

Key Differences

  • Common Fieldcap is Least Concern while Common Fig is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank Common Fieldcap Common Fig
Kingdom Fungi (Fungi) Plantae (Plants)
Phylum Basidiomycota (Club Fungi) Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms) Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms) Rosales (Roses & Allies)
Family Strophariaceae Moraceae
Genus Agrocybe Ficus
Species Agrocybe pediades Ficus carica

Conservation Status

Common Fieldcap

LC — Least Concern

Common Fig

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute Common Fieldcap Common Fig
Diet
Average Lifespan
Average Length
Average Weight

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Fieldcap

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (United States).

Common Fig

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (8 countries), Asia (Qatar, Taiwan, Yemen), Europe (18 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (5 countries), and South America (5 countries).

Common Fieldcap

The Common Fieldcap (<em>Agrocybe pediades</em>) is a saprotrophic fungus belonging to the genus Agrocybe within the family Strophariaceae. It typically produces small, tan to pale brown cap-shaped fruiting bodies and is often found growing in clusters or scattered on lawns, grassy areas, forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil-rich ecosystems. The species typically inhabits forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems, obtaining nutrients by breaking down dead organic matter. Its geographic range includes several European countries — Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden — as well as the United States in North America. <em>Agrocybe pediades</em> is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, reflecting its broad distribution and apparent stability. Biological traits of this species, including specific data on fruiting body size, lifespan, and ecological preferences, remain poorly documented in the scientific literature. Like other members of its genus, it typically fruits during warmer months and often appears after rainfall in nutrient-rich grassland and woodland habitats.

Common Fig

The Common Fig (<em>Ficus carica</em>) is a deciduous tree or large shrub belonging to the genus Ficus within the family Moraceae. It is widely recognised for its broad, lobed leaves and distinctive edible fruit, the fig, which is a syconium — a fleshy, hollow structure enclosing numerous small flowers. The species is typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions, and has a wide geographic distribution spanning Africa including eight countries, Asia including Qatar, Taiwan, and Yemen, 18 European countries, North America including Canada and the United States, Oceania and the Pacific including five countries, and South America including five countries. <em>Ficus carica</em> has not been evaluated under IUCN criteria. It has been cultivated for thousands of years as a food crop across the Mediterranean region and western Asia, and is considered one of the earliest domesticated plants. Pollination typically involves a specialised mutualistic relationship with fig wasps. Biological traits including average lifespan and body dimensions in the wild remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Nature FYI Family

Explore more of the natural world across our sister sites.

Part of the Nature FYI family — FYIPedia