Blushing Wood Mushroom

Agaricus silvaticus

Coniferous and mixed forests, parks. Summer, autumn.

Fruiting bodies medium-sized. Cap 5-10 cm across, not fleshy, on a yellowish, ochre background covered with greyish-brown, brownish-pink scales. Young gills greyish-pink, later pinkish-brownish chocolate-coloured. Stem 5-10 (12)x0.5-1.5 cm, with a white ring, whitish-brownish, thickened at the base, without a volva. Characteristic features: the Scaly Wood Mushroom (A. langei) is very similar, but its fruiting bodies are larger and turn red more vividly. Grows singly or a few fruiting bodies together. Edible. Common. 19 species of this genus grow in Lithuania. All have pink, chocolate-coloured gills. Valuable edible mushrooms (the Yellow Stainer is mildly poisonous), with medicinal properties.