One of the brown scaled large Agaricus species. It has a distinctive, superior, pendulous ring with a cogwheel pattern on its underside. Might be weakly yellowing, and have a phenolic smell.
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Dusky Scaled Mushroom
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Dusky Scaled Mushroom
| Mushroom Type | |
| Common Names | Dusky Scaled Mushroom (EN), Barnapikkelyű Csiperke (HU) |
| Scientific Name | Agaricus phaeolepidus |
| Season Start | Jul |
| Season End | Nov |
| Average Mushroom height (CM) | 6–13 |
| Average Cap width (CM) | 5–12 |
Please note that each and every mushroom you come across may vary in appearance to these photos.
Cap
5–12 cm across. Convex at first, then flattened. The skin is densely covered with light reddish brown to brown, appressed small scales. The centre of the cap usually darker than the rest.
Gills
Crowded and free of the stem. Pinkish grey at first, then dark brown once the spores matured.
Stem
6–13 cm tall, 0.7–1.4 cm in diameter. White, cylindrical with a bulbous base. Its surface is smooth.
Skirt
Superior, membranous, thin with a distinct cogwheel pattern on the margin of the underside.
Flesh
Fairly thin, soft. Initially white, may slightly yellowing at the base of the stem, otherwise may or may not bruising to faint pinkish-brown or brownish.
Habitat
Growing individually or in smaller groups on clay-rich or sandy calcareous soil in open deciduous woodlands, parks, gardens or cemeteries. Saprotrophic.
Possible Confusion
It can be confused with other Agaricus species.
Blushing Wood Mushroom (Agaricus sylvaticus), pictured, stains very red when cut, and has a weak, but pleasant ‘mushroomy’ or nutty smell.
The Prince (Agaricus augustus) might yellow a bit in the cap and the stem, and has a strong and pleasant bitter almond smell.
Tufted Wood Mushroom (Agaricus impudicus) bruising brown to reddish brown, and it has an unpleasant rubber-like smell.
Taste / Smell
Inedible. It has a ‘mushroomy’ taste, but a weak, unpleasant, phenolic or carbolic smell (same as the Yellow Stainer or the Inky Mushroom, just weaker).
Frequency
Rather rare in England and Wales.
Spores
Spore print is dark brown. Spores ellipsoid, smooth, without germ-pore.
Other Facts
It is often necessary to check our suspected ID with chemical tests (but this is not for novice foragers, due to the hazard of using chemical reagents).
Dusky Scaled Mushroom is negative to Schäffer’s test (developed by Julius Schäffer, 1882–1944, German mycologist), and KOH gives a positive (yellow) reaction on the cap.
The epithet (2nd part of the Scientific name) was created from a Greek and a Latin word. The Greek word ‘φαιός’ or ‘Phaiós’ means dusky, dark, grey, while the Latin word ‘Lepidus’ means pleasant, charming, pretty, pleasing etc. It indicates that we are looking for something which is pretty and grey or dusky.
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