Agaricus comtulus

The cap of Agaricus comtulus is small — 2 to 5 centimeters across. When young it is hemispherical or convex; with age it opens out flat. The surface is dry, smooth or finely fibrous, white, cream or with a faint grayish-yellowish tint, often darker in the center. It may turn faintly yellow when touched. Its small size and pale coloring give the mushroom a modest, delicate look.

The spore-bearing surface is made of gills. The gills are free, not attached to the stem, and crowded. Their color changes with age: in young mushrooms they are pale pink or grayish-pink, then darken to brown and blackish-brown. The spore print is dark brown. Pinkish young gills set Agaricus apart from the white-gilled poisonous amanitas.

The stem is thin, slender, white, 2 to 5 centimeters tall, often with a slightly thickened base. Near the top there is a thin whitish ring — a remnant of the veil — which can be fragile in small mushrooms. There is no volva at the base — an important difference from poisonous amanitas.

The flesh is white and thin, and turns faintly yellow or stays unchanged when cut. The taste is mild and pleasant, with a light anise-almond note. Because the flesh is thin and the mushroom small, its culinary value is modest, so it rounds out a basket rather than forming the basis of a dish.

The smell is pleasant and faint, with an anise or almond note. If the mushroom smells of ink or carbolic and the flesh turns bright yellow when cut, it may be the poisonous yellow stainer or one of its small relatives, and you must not take it.