Chlorophyllum rhacodes - Shaggy Parasol

Taxonomy

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Agaricales

Chlorophyllum (formerly Macrolepiota) rhacodes, the Shaggy Parasol, is an edible mushroom found mainly in coniferous forests and under fir hedges. It is smaller than the Parasol Mushroom, Macrolepiota procera, and its stem lacks the snakeskin-like patterning associated with the Parasol. (Picture: Doug Holland)

Many books and websites state that this is a good edible mushroom, but it has been known to cause serious illness in some people and so it should be avoided.

Identification guide

	Cap Initially bun shaped, the cap expands and becomes convex. Only rarely do Shaggy Parasols open out completely flat. (Picture: Doug Holland) At maturity, the cap diameter ranges from 5 to 15cm; its flesh reddens when cut.
	Gills The gills are soft, white, free and crowded. If the gills are bruised or cut, they turn reddish - as also does the cap flesh if it is cut.
	Stem The hollow stem is white, tinged with red-brown, and the stem rises eccentrically from a large bulbous base. The stem diameter is between 1.8 and 2.4cm. A movable white double ring, the same colour as the stem, sometimes falls to the base as the fruitbody matures.
Spore print	White or pale cream.
Odour/taste	Taste not distinctive; odour quite strong and pleasant.
Habitat	In all kinds of woodland and sometimes in hedgerows.
Season	June to October.
Occurrence	Frequent.
Similar species	Macrolepiota procera, the Parasol, has smaller scales and a brown and white pattern, often like snakeskin, on the stem.