Horse mushroom or Macro mushroom

Cap 6-20 cm across; in young mushrooms firmly hemispherical to egg-shaped, the margin often rolled under. Later it becomes convex to flat. Color pure white to cream, with subtle yellowish tints in old mushrooms; spots yellow to ocher when touched. Surface smooth, slightly sticky in wet weather, dry and matte in dry weather. Sometimes with fine fibrous scales in the center.

The cap of the macro mushroom is very large — from 8 to 20, and in mature specimens up to 30–40 centimeters in diameter. When young it is almost spherical, with a thick, inrolled margin; with age it opens out to convex and flat. The surface is white or cream, dry; smooth in young mushrooms, but with age it cracks into coarse, plate-like scales reminiscent of crocodile skin. It slowly turns yellow when touched.

Gilled hymenophore — gills free, crowded. When young — grayish-white, with a pinkish tinge, becoming with age dark brown, chocolate-blackish. Spore print dark brown.

The hymenophore is gilled. The gills are free and very crowded. Their color changes with age: in young mushrooms they are pale pink or grayish pink, then darken to chocolate brown and blackish brown. The spore print is dark brown; the spores are noticeably large, which is exactly what the common name refers to. The pinkish young gills set this Agaricus apart from the white-gilled poisonous amanitas.

Stem 6-12 cm tall, 1.5-3 cm thick, thick, fleshy, cylindrical, slightly thickened at the base. Color white to cream. On the upper part — a large membranous double ring with a characteristic "toothed" lower edge (like a cogwheel) — a diagnostic feature of the species.

The stem is massive, thick, firm and white, 5 to 12 centimeters tall, often shorter than the cap is wide, with a thickened base. In the upper part there is a large, firm, whitish ring. The stem may turn yellow when touched. There is no volva at the base — an important difference from the poisonous amanitas.

Flesh firm, meaty, white; when cut it slowly yellows in the flesh of the cap and upper stem. Does not redden (unlike A. silvaticus). The smell is a distinct anise-almond — a characteristic feature of the species.

The flesh is white, thick and firm; when cut, it slowly turns yellow or pinkish, especially at the base of the stem. The taste is mild and pleasant, with a nutty note. It has a distinct aniseed-almond scent that lingers even during cooking. Because even young mushrooms tend to be wormy, check them carefully.

Distinctly anise-almond, fruity — the most characteristic diagnostic sign. It comes out when you rub the flesh between your fingers. This smell is one of the most pleasant mushroom experiences in field foraging.

The smell is strong and pleasant, aniseed-almond — one of the defining features of the species. If, however, the mushroom smells of ink or carbolic and the stem base turns bright yellow, it is the poisonous yellow stainer, and you must not take it.