Agaricus Genus

Agaricus  mushrooms are the ones that grow in lawns and grassy areas for most. but this isn’t their only habitat there are woodland, dune, and even pavement growing agaricus to be found.

Agaricus mushrooms are the  most recognizable,  agaricus mushrooms are the genus we most cultivate, agaricus bisporus which is the button mushroom , closed cup and the flat mushroom that you will find in shops. They are a great example of how mushrooms vary throughout their life cycle. When young all agaricus species have pale whitish to pink gills, which turn brown and then black as they release spores and age. A button mushroom will have a partial veil which covers the gills and protects them as the spores mature. As the cap grows bigger that veil pulls away from the rim of the cap and remains on the stem of the mushroom and looks like a skirt.

There are over 60 individual species in this genus, and only 3 are toxic. Avoiding any that stain bright yellow especially at the base of the stem, and that smell carbolic (like old fashioned ink) and acrid (these really do smell bad!). There are a few edible ones that stain yellow like the horse mushroom, these have a lovely aniseed smell to them, smell is really important on telling these apart.

There is also a little test you can do which only works with agaricus mushrooms to find the toxic ones! Apply heat, frying pan, microwave or even a lighter for long enough with cause a chemical reaction causing the yellow staining mushroom to release even more of the yellow colour this is a good test for older specimens where the yellow staining is slower.

Agaricus Key features

• • • • Convex cap with a central stem and gills.

      • Cap can get up to about 20cm in diameter

      •  Gills start whitish pink, becoming salmon pink to brown and then black.

      •   Are the gills very crowded.

      • There is a ring or skirt on the stem.

      • Stem is whitish grey and solid.

      •  Grows in a mixture of habitats depending on the species grassland. Woodland or dune

      • Does it leave a chocolate brown spore print.

If you've answered yes to all these questions, then you're likely to have an agaricus species.

Look alikes for agaricus mushrooms.

Amanitas
which have white gills that don’t change colour with age and emerges from a universal veil (egg sack)

Puffballs
Have no stem or gills but more like a marshmallow that is soft and spongy.