Parasol mushroom or Agaricus haemorrhoidarius

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.

The cap of Agaricus haemorrhoidarius reaches 5 to 10 centimeters across. When young it is hemispherical, opening out with age to convex and flat. The surface is covered with numerous flattened, fibrous scales of dark brown, reddish-brown color on a paler background, radiating from a darker center. The scaly, reddish-brown cap is a characteristic feature of the species.

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.

The hymenophore is gilled. The gills are free, not attached to the stem, and very crowded. Their color changes with age: in young mushrooms they are pale pink or grayish-pink, later darkening to chocolate brown and almost black. The spore print is dark brown. The pinkish young gills set Agaricus apart from the white-gilled poisonous amanitas.

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.

The stem is cylindrical, white, 5 to 10 centimeters tall, with a slightly thickened base. In the upper part there is a prominent hanging ring — a trace of the veil. When cut, the stem flesh, like the cap, quickly turns red. There is no volva at the base — an important difference from the poisonous amanitas.

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.

The flesh is white and, when cut, turns red quickly and vividly, taking on a blood-red tint, especially at the base of the stem — hence the name. The taste is mild and pleasant, with no bitterness and a light mushroomy note. The vivid reddening (not yellowing) is a useful feature that distinguishes this species from the poisonous yellow stainer.

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

The smell is pleasant, mushroomy, with no sharp notes. But if the mushroom smells of ink or carbolic, and the flesh turns yellow (not red) when cut, it is the poisonous yellow stainer, and you must not pick it.