Frayed parasol or Parasol mushroom

Cap 6–10 cm (sometimes up to 15), hemispherical in young mushrooms, then flattening to plano-convex with a small bump in the center. Creamy white with an ochre or yellowish-brown center. The surface is covered with small scale-like flakes — it looks like peeling varnish. The edges often have a thin "fringe" — remnants of the veil.

Cap large, 10-25 cm across. Egg-shaped at first, then opening out flat like an umbrella, with a small blunt bump in the center. The background color is light gray to grayish brown, and the surface is covered with large brown or grayish-brown scales in concentric rings; the center is darker and smoother. The skin peels easily away from the flesh.

Gills free, creamy white, crowded, turning slightly yellowish in mature mushrooms. Spore print white or pale cream.

Gills. The gills are crowded, thin and free (they don't touch the stem) — an important feature of the genus. White at first, turning cream to yellowish with age. Spore print white.

Stem 8–15 cm tall, 0.8–1.5 cm thick, cylindrical, with a bulbous base. White with a creamy yellowish tint, smooth. In the upper part there is a white membranous ring, which often falls away in old mushrooms. The lower stem sometimes has a faint scaly pattern.

Stem tall, up to 30 cm high, 1-1.5 cm thick, cylindrical, with a bulb up to 2.5 cm at the base (no volva — this is crucial!). Gray-brown with a distinctive “snakeskin” zigzag pattern of darker scaly patches — a diagnostic feature. Near the top there is a fleshy movable ring (you can slide it up and down), whitish above, with a brown edge below.

Flesh white, firm in the cap, fibrous in the stem. Does NOT change color when cut. The texture is fibrous and uneven — softer in the cap, tougher in the stem.

The flesh in the cap is white, soft, juicy in young ones, softer and a bit limp in old ones. When cut, it stays white and does not change color — an important difference from similar species. The flesh in the stem is tough and fibrous — not edible.

Smell pleasant, faintly nutty, reminiscent of hazelnut or grain. Taste mild, sweetish.

A pleasant nutty smell with a subtle mushroomy note. The taste is mild and delicately nutty — especially when fried.