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Macro Mushroom

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Macro Mushroom

Edible

Edible
Autumn

Autumn
Spring

Spring
Summer

Summer

Occasional, but being a large mushroom can often be seen from a distance. Can easily be confused with the Horse Mushroom but both are great tasting mushrooms so it’s not a problem.

Mushroom Type
Common Names Macro Mushroom, Madarch Mawr y Maes (CY), Pieczarka Wielkozarodnikowa (PL), Nagyspórás Csiperke (HU)
Scientific Name Agaricus crocodilinus
Synonyms Agaricus macrosporus, Agaricus urinascens
Season Start May
Season End Nov
Average Mushroom height (CM) 8-14
Average Cap width (CM) 10-16 but can be found up to 25cm

Mushroom Image

Cap

10 to 25 cm when mature. Convex opening out flat becoming scaled and splitting at the edges when mature. Can remains of the veil hanging on the edges. Off-white sometimes with a pale yellow or brown flush.

Gills

Crowded and free of the stem. Starting pale pink and turning to brown then almost black.

Stem

8-14 cm long, 2-3.5 cm diameter. White/cream and covered in floccules below the skirt. The stem tapers towards both the cap and base.

Skirt

Has a flimsy, superior skirt with floccules on the underside.

Flesh

White and firm, flushing red/pink in the stem when cut.

Habitat

Pastures, lawns and anywhere grassy. Growing in rings or sometimes individually.

Possible Confusion

The toxic Yellow Stainer (Agaricus xanthodermus), but this mushrooms flesh stains chrome yellow when bruised or cut and smells of phenol or Indian ink.
The Horse Mushroom (Agaricus arvensis) looks similar but has a smooth stem, unlike the floccule covered stem, below the skirt, of the Macro Mushroom.

Spore Print

Brown. Ellipsoid.

Taste / Smell

Mushroomy with a hint of almond or aniseed. Should be cooked before consumption. Smells of almonds to some, aniseed to others.

Frequency

Occasional.

Other Facts

Even when young these are always full of maggots.

Foraging Pocket Guide
Mushroom Guide
Foraging Basket with shoulder strap

COMMENTS

12 responses to “Macro Mushroom”

  1. Really like the taste of this one

  2. Steve Bush avatar
    Steve Bush

    Just eating a huge one now, and tastes fantastic, it was totally free of maggots, amazingly. Great texture and flavour. Seem to be a lot about this year, usually a rare find.

  3. I think I found 2 of these clumped together, they weighed over 500 grams each and the bulbous stem was at least 15 centimeters long.smelled very good, no sign of maggots.

  4. Barbara Milligan avatar
    Barbara Milligan

    Just found a clump of them. Will have them for supper tonight. No maggots and in beautiful condition apart from the ones someone ground into the grass. Found 15th December 2019.

  5. Marie Havers avatar
    Marie Havers

    Can I ask an opinion ?
    I have small squat mushrooms white with pink/brown gills skirt really sits on them and short thick stem ….
    Clean white when cut with a knife and brownish when left several hours on end And no smell .
    Found in Dartmoor in meadow near sheep.

    1. Eric Biggane avatar
      Eric Biggane

      Sorry for the late reply, they sound like Agarics but I wouldn’t be able to identify them to species as smell is an important id for this family. If they smell unpleasant and like ink or phenol then they are the toxic Yellow Stainer, if they smell of aniseed, almonds or pleasantly of mushroom they are one of the edible members of the family. The unpleasant smell is enhanced if the mushrooms are cooked.

  6. Just found a 40 ft troop on a northern Essex airfield, up to nearly 50cms.. look amazing with blushing stems and taste even better, back tomorrow to get some for drying.

  7. Stephen Tullett avatar
    Stephen Tullett

    Found some specimens in hospital grounds to the North of London, I picked the best youngest one and ended up with about a quarter of it that wasn’t maggotty but the taste is really excellent and strong, especially fried in a little oil and butter mix. The stems blushing red threw me until I chanced upon descriptions of A. Macro. I didn’t detect any urine smell, just very mushroomy (maybe that’s the same thing to some noses!)

  8. Donald Graham avatar
    Donald Graham

    Staying in Collon notice these big mushrooms. Checked it out. Wonderful and tasty

  9. Chris Jepson-Brown avatar
    Chris Jepson-Brown

    These seem to be the commonest agaricus in my neck of the woods (upland, mooredge pasture on acid soils in the South Pennines). A good, tasty one.

  10. Geoff Harry avatar
    Geoff Harry

    What a wonderful October for fungi this year here on the Surrey/Sussex border. Found a large group of these on the lawn of our local nursing home. Took some, left some. Delicious.

  11. I can only think I’ve seen and eaten one large one which I found on our neighbours front lawn! Left the other huge one (22cm diametre). Yes I did ask them! Had trouble identifying as they just didn’t smell of aniseed only mushroomy, which fooled me. Had a large floppy skirt. Utterly divine stuffed with bacon, Gruyère and Parmesan cheese.

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