Edible mushroom - novice Season - summer to autumn Common names Blushing wood mushroom, red staining mushroom
Scientific name meaning: Agaricus comes from the Greek Agarikon, meaning mushroom. Sylvaticus is Latin, meaning growing among trees
Habitat  The blushing wood mushroom is saprobic and can be found in deciduous and coniferous leaf litter under trees. |
Overall structure and growth  Most often found in small tight groups, the blushing wood mushroom is often misshapen by the other fruit bodies around it or leaf litter it is growing in. |
Cap  The overall cap surface colour is pale brown. However, the colour comes from white flesh covered in red-brown scales that often look like tufts of hair. When the fruit is young, it is almost spherical then dome-shaped, becoming flattened with age. The size of the cap can be between 5cm and 15cm. It bruises red colour, later turning brown, when damaged. |
Gills and spores  The gills are crowded and free of the stem. They are initially off white before turning pink, reddening and finally becoming dark brown. The spore colour is dark chocolate brown. |
Stem  Sturdy and white in colour, the stem is usually 1-2cm wide. It has ring/skirt and the stem flesh is usually smooth above the ring and finely scaled below. The base of the stem is swollen. |
Flesh, smell and taste  The white flesh bruises red when damaged and eventually turns brown. The smell is slightly meaty and the taste mild. |
Possible lookalikes  Could be confused with any of the scaly wood mushroom (Agaricus langei), pictured, or the haemorrhaging mushroom (Agaricus haemorrhoidarius) but these are both edible. Poisonous members of the Agaricus genus stain yellow rather than red. |
Use as a food Must be cooked and can be used exactly as a cultivated mushroom. It has a rich meaty flavour - one of our favourite mushrooms Hazards This mushroom often grows near roads. Mushrooms can bioaccumulate toxins, including heavy metals, so roadside harvesting should be avoided
Use in herbal medicine and medicine Some research has been undertaken into the potential benefits of consuming the blushing wood mushroom for people undergoing treatment for certain cancers
If you are suffering from any ailment or need medical advice, please see your General Practitioner Other uses None known Importance to other species Provides food for a the larvae of a number of fly species
Always stay safe when foraging. You need to be 100% sure of your identification, 100% sure that your foraged item is edible, and 100% sure that you are not allergic to it (it is good practice to always try a small amount of any new food you are consuming). If in doubt, leave it out!
Comments