Salty mushroom or Field mushroom

The cap is 6–15 cm across and very fleshy. Young caps are hemispherical, then convex and flattened, and the margin stays inrolled for a long time.

The skin is white, cream or greyish, dry and smooth at first, often with brownish spots. With age it cracks into coarse brownish scales and furrows, so the cap looks like cracked earth. Mushrooms often come up already dirty, with sand or soil on the cap.

Cap 5–15 cm across, spherical when young, then flat or slightly umbonate. White or slightly creamy, cracking in dry weather; fibrous scales may appear as it matures. The margin is inrolled at first, then straight.

The gills are free, meaning they don't reach the stem, and very crowded. In young mushrooms they are greyish pink or pink, then reddish brown, and chocolate in mature ones. They are never white in a mature Agaricus.

The spore print is chocolate brown. A white print means it isn't an Agaricus.

Gills free (not reaching the stem) and crowded: soft pink at first, then bright pink, and chocolate-brown or blackish in mature mushrooms. Pink gills are a key safety feature that sets the field mushroom apart from poisonous species with white gills.

The stem is 4–10 cm tall and 2–4 cm thick, white, firm and solid. It's usually shorter than the cap is wide, which makes the mushroom look squat.

There is a single narrow, sleeve-like ring with an upturned edge; in young mushrooms it is thick and rubbery. There is no sac (volva) at the base. The base often sits deep in the soil, so dig the mushroom up whole to check it.

Stem 4–8 cm tall, 1–2 cm thick, cylindrical, solid and straight. White. A firm membranous ring sits in the middle of the stem, a characteristic feature. No volva.

The flesh is thick, firm and white. When cut or pressed it reddens, turning orange-red or reddish brown, sometimes vividly, sometimes slowly and only faintly. It never turns yellow. The taste is mild, slightly salty according to some.

Flesh firm and white; it turns slightly pink when cut or stays unchanged. It doesn’t turn yellow (yellowing is a sign of poisonous species). The taste is pleasant and richly mushroomy.

Descriptions of the smell vary: briny, fishy, unpleasant, and some authors also notice a hint of aniseed. That is where its German and French names meaning smelly mushroom come from. Treat the smell as a hint only: the reddening flesh, the pink to chocolate gills and the single ring decide. A strong smell of ink or carbolic points to the poisonous yellow stainer.

A pronounced smell of anise and almond with mushroomy notes, making it one of the most aromatic wild mushrooms. Cooking intensifies the aroma, and it can dominate the dish.