Phenolic

The yellow stainer — queen of phenol

The most important mushroom linked to a phenolic smell is the yellow stainer (Agaricus xanthodermus). It causes tens of thousands of poisonings around the world every year.

David Arora in «Mushrooms Demystified» and Roger Phillips describe this mushroom's treachery in detail. The yellow stainer looks exactly like a perfect, handsome edible Agaricus: a white cap, pink or brown gills, a ring on the stem. It often grows right on lawns and in gardens.

But two signs give the poison away:

1. Color change: If you rub the cap or cut the base of the stem, the flesh instantly turns bright chrome yellow (hence the name — xanthodermus, "yellow-skinned").

2. Phenolic smell: The cut stem base smells sharply of carbolic, ink or iodine.

M.Ya. Zerova warns: in cold weather the phenolic smell of a raw mushroom can be barely noticeable. But toss such a mushroom into a hot pan and the whole kitchen instantly fills with an unbearable chemical (carbolic) stench. Eating these mushrooms is strictly forbidden — they cause severe gastric poisoning.

Other mushrooms with a phenolic smell

Besides Agaricus species, a phenolic or chemical smell can also be found in:

- Some knights (Tricholoma): They often combine smells of phenol, coal gas and soap. They are inedible or mildly poisonous.

- Some poisonous webcaps.