(33 votes, average: 3.52 out of 5)
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Wood Mushroom
Edible 
Autumn 
Spring 
Summer 
A tasty find but the mushrooms have a very short shelf life and need to be used soon after finding them.
| Mushroom Type | |
| Common Names | Wood Mushroom (EN), Madarch y Coed (CY), Pieczarka Bulwiasta (PL), Karcsú Csiperke (HU) |
| Scientific Name | Agaricus sylvicola |
| Season Start | Aug |
| Season End | Nov |
| Average Mushroom height (CM) | 8 |
| Average Cap width (CM) | 10 |
Cap
Off-white/cream bruising ochraceous and becoming yellow with age.
Gills
Gills pale grey/pink at first turning a dark chocolate brown.
Stem
White/off-white with a pendulous ring and slightly bulbous base.
Skirt
Pendulous and the upper surface is usually stained by the spores.
Flesh
White and quite thin.
Habitat
Mixed woodland.
Possible Confusion
The Yellow Stainer (Agaricus xanthodermus) looks very alike but bruises chrome yellow when handled or cut and smells of Indian ink or Agaricus pilatianus, a rare mushroom, which stains yellow on cutting and smells similar to the Yellow Stainer. Both do not smell edible.
Spore Print
Purple/brown. Ellipsoid.
Taste / Smell
Smells strongly of aniseed. Taste mushroomy. Should be cooked before consumption.
Frequency
Fairly common.
Other Facts
These mushrooms spoil very quickly and should be used the same day as picking them.
8 comments for Wood Mushroom
I can’t identify definitely the mushroom I have just found in my garden.
Is there anyone out there who I can send a picture to?
You can send us photos here https://www.wildfooduk.com/contact-us/ or via email to [email protected] and we will take a look for you.
If picked when closed will they open up?
They can open slighty when picked, but the wood mushroom has a very short shelf life so is best eaten soon after picking.
I sent a photo of a something to your email..Thanks for your insite!
‘We have found a clump of white mushrooms growing under our garden hedge. The gills are grey in a small closed one and pink on the larger ones, they have a large ish skirt, slightly bulbous base of stem. There is a slight hint of yellow after scraping the top of the cap. Are they safe to eat? I think that they smell faintly of mushroom, but I can’t entirely rely on my sense of smell after covid! My husband doesn’t think that they smell unpleasant. Are they likely to be safe to eat?
Thanks for your help!
They sound like Agarics but without seeing them I couldn’t tell you if they are safe or not. If they are Yellow Stainers, the smell and colour are enhanced if you try to cook them.
Hundreds of these, around my local woods today. I think the heavy rain, of the past few days is causing a fungi explosion!