Parasol Mushroom

Macrolepiota procera – Edible

Coniferous and mixed forests, forest edges, roadsides, open places. Summer, autumn.

One of the largest capped mushrooms; the cap is up to 30 cm across and larger; in young ones the surface is smooth, quickly becoming rough and cracked, later brown-scaly. Gills white, later cream, up to 3 cm wide. Stem 10-33x1-4 cm, with small greyish-brown scales and a large white ring, bulbously thickened at the base, without a volva, which is characteristic of the Amanitas. Flesh white, spongy, with a pleasant smell and taste. Characteristic features: large, fleshy, scaly fruiting bodies, growing only in coniferous forests, more often in pine forests. Appears singly or in small groups. Eagerly collected. Especially tasty fried in butter. It is not collected along roadsides, because poisoning by the pollutants accumulated in it is possible.