Agaricus placomyces is a poisonous woodland mushroom related to the button mushroom, found mainly east of the Rocky Mountains. Its brown cap coating breaks into fine fibers and scales over a whitish background, leaving a darker center, and the flesh at the stem base turns bright yellow when cut. It often has a chemical, coal-tar-like smell, and eating it causes stomach upset.
Appearance
- Appearance
- Cap about 2–5.5 in (5–14 cm) wide, convex then nearly flat, with a grayish-brown to brown center breaking into streaks and scales. Surfaces often bruise yellow when fresh. The stem is about 2.5–6 in (6–15 cm) tall with a persistent whitish ring and a slightly enlarged base. Gills are free from the stem and crowded, whitish at first, then pink, then brown. The is brown.
Look-alikes
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Hardwood forests
- Mixed woods
- Lawns under planted trees
- Range
- Probably widespread in eastern North America, east of the Rocky Mountains. On the Pacific Coast it is replaced by similar species.
- Preferred conditions
- Grows scattered or in groups under hardwoods or conifers, usually in the woods but also under planted trees in lawns and city settings. It lives on dead plant material in the soil.
Life cycle
- Breeding season
- Summer and fall
Cautions
- Cautions
- Poisonous: like other -smelling Agaricus, it causes gastrointestinal upset, though some people report no effects. The odor is strongest at the stem base, but it is not always noticeable.
Name and classification
- About the name
- Named by Charles Peck in 1878 from North America. In Europe the name was long misapplied to a different species, now called Agaricus moelleri, which is the mushroom known in Britain as the inky mushroom.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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