Agaricus impudicus
Tufted Wood Mushroom
Status:
Uncommon but widespread.
Meaning 'of the country'
Cap:
5-12 cm
Stem:
6-12 cm
From Latin for 'shameless'
Description
A beautiful member of the Agaricus family, unlike many other of the 'woodland' Agaricus it does not change colour in the flesh when damaged.
There are differing opinions on whether the gills change colour, with some authors stating the turn dark red when damaged. This is not my experience, in fact a look at images online rarely shows any reddening when the gills are damaged, so perhaps this is not feature, or maybe part of an unresolved complex of species.
That a side it is a relatively straight forward species to identify.
Smell
In fresh specimens sometimes earthy, radishy or even a bit like metal. It is not always a strong smell though.
Season
Autumn, often growing late in the season and even in to early Winter.
Habitat & Distribution
Woodland - deciduous, confierous and mixed woodland.
Edibility
Edible.
Confusion Species
Spores
5-7 x3.5-4.5μm, ellipsoidal, smooth.
Spore Print Colour
Brown.
Some of the other 'brown capped' mushrooms such as Scaly Wood Mushroom (Agricus langei) and Blushing Wood Mushroom (Agaricus silvaticus) both turn red in the flesh when damaged, which the Tufted Wood Mushroom does not.
This mushroom does not turn yellow but check for any yellowing if you are thinking about eating it to make sure you do not pick any poisonous Agricus.