Parasol mushroom or White dapperling

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.

Cap 4-10 cm across; hemispherical to convex when young, later flattening out with a small bump in the center. Color white to cream, sometimes with pale ochre or cream scales in the center; smooth and silky-white when young. The cap skin is finely fibrous or covered with small, flattened scales. The cap margin is thin, inrolled when young.

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.

Gills. The gills are crowded, thin, free (not attached to the stem). White to cream in young mushrooms, creamy-pinkish with age (hence the Ukrainian name, which means "red-gilled"). The spore print is white to pale pink — an important diagnostic feature (in Agaricus it's blackish-brown).

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.

Stem 5-10 cm tall, 0.7-1.5 cm thick, cylindrical, slightly thickened toward the base. White to cream. On the stem there's a simple membranous ring, distinct in young mushrooms, may disappear with age. The surface is smooth.

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.

Flesh of medium thickness, white, with a barely noticeable pink tint at the base of the stem. It doesn't change color when cut.

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

Faint and neutral, with no distinct notes. Don't taste it — its safety status is undetermined.