Agaricus silvicola | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Fungi |
Division: | Basidiomycota |
Class: | Agaricomycetes |
Order: | Agaricales |
Family: | Agaricaceae |
Genus: | Agaricus |
Species: | A. silvicola |
Binomial name | |
Agaricus silvicola (Vittad.) Peck (1872) |
Agaricus silvicola | |
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Mycological characteristics | |
gills on hymenium | |
cap is convex or flat |
|
hymenium is free | |
stipe has a ring | |
spore print is brown | |
ecology is saprotrophic | |
edibility: edible |
cap is convex
Agaricus silvicola, also known as the wood mushroom, is a species of Agaricus mushroom related to the button mushroom.
Originally described as the variety Agaricus campestris var. silvicola by Carlo Vittadini in 1832, it was promoted to distinct species status by Charles Horton Peck in 1873.
The cap is light cream, and bruises yellow ochre when damaged. It is 5–10 centimetres (2.0–3.9 in) in diameter, which makes it slightly smaller than its close relative Agaricus arvensis, the "horse mushroom". The stem is long, slim, and usually has a bulbous base. It is much the same colour as the cap, and has a fragile drooping ring. The flesh is thin and white, and smells of aniseed. It looks fairly similar to a young death cap, it is believed by some mycologists.
Agaricus silvicola grows in both deciduous and coniferous woodland in Britain, Europe, and North America. Appearing in the autumn, it is rarely seen in huge numbers, usually just a few, or solitary.
It is edible and popular in Europe. It is suspected to have caused an allergic reaction in a few people in North America.