Parasol mushroom or Shaggy parasol

Cap large, 7-20 cm across. Hemispherical at first, then convex-spreading to flat with a small boss. The background color is light grayish-brown, and the surface is covered with coarse brown scales in concentric rings, darker at the center. It looks very much like the parasol mushroom, but the scales curl upward at the edges — a characteristic feature.

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.

Gilled hymenophore. Gills crowded, thin, free. Color white at first, cream with age, with a pinkish tinge in old specimens. Damaged gills turn red. Spore print white — this is important for telling it apart from the poisonous Chlorophyllum molybdites (green spore print).

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 7-20 cm tall, 1-2.5 cm thick, cylindrical, swollen at the base (a gradually swollen bulb; an abrupt, rimmed bulb belongs to the related Chlorophyllum brunneum, which has no records from Ukraine in GBIF). Color whitish to grayish — no snakeskin pattern (unlike the parasol mushroom). Turns brown where touched or damaged. In the upper part there is a fleshy, movable ring. there is no volva.

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 in the cap is white and soft. a characteristic feature — when cut or damaged it turns red (quickly), then turns brown. This is the fundamental difference from the parasol mushroom, whose flesh does not change color.

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.

Faint, pleasant mushroomy smell. Mild taste — pleasant and mushroomy after boiling.

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