Agaricus subrutilescens

🏷️ Description

Originally described as Psalliota subrutilescens in 1925, this captivating mushroom was reclassified to the genus Agaricus in 1938. Known for its striking wine-colored cap, it's commonly referred to as the Wine-Colored Agaricus.

🍽️ Edibility Caution! Agaricus subrutilescens is a bit of a mystery in the culinary world. While some sources consider it edible, others warn of potential gastric upset. If in doubt, it's best to avoid consumption.

🌟 Fascinating Facts

• The green staining with KOH is unique to this species and a similar one in the southeastern U.S.

• It’s often found in the company of conifers, enjoying the leafy humus and deep forest duff.

🔎 Identification

🍷 Cap: Ranging from 1.97 to 7.87 inches (5 to 20 cm) in diameter, the cap starts convex, flattening with age, sometimes developing a broad umbo. It's covered in dark-brown to purple-brown fibrils, revealing a whitish base towards the edges. The cap's surface is dry, transitioning from a darker center to paler margins.

🌿 Gills: The gills are initially white, turning pinkish and eventually dark brown. They are free, close, and moderately broad, bruising reddish-brown as they mature.

📏 Stem: The stem measures 5-20 cm in length and 1-4 cm in thickness. It's white and covered with soft cottony scales below a superior, skirt-like ring. The texture varies from smooth at the top to fibrous below, with a stuffed or hollow interior.

🥩 Flesh: White, thick, and firm, the flesh does not change color when bruised. The taste and odor are mild, sometimes described as slightly fruity.

🔬 Spores: Spores are elliptical, smooth, and measure 4.5-6 x 3-4 µm, producing a chocolate-brown spore print.

🌳 Habitat & Distribution: This mushroom thrives in undisturbed mixed woods, often under conifers like redwood, pine, and alder. It's commonly found in Western North America, Japan, and has been spotted in New Zealand and Australia. It grows solitarily or in small clusters, particularly from fall to mid-winter.

👀 Look-Alikes

1. Agaricus hondensis: Toxic, with tan to buff-brown scales and a yellow reaction to KOH.

2. Agaricus moelleri: Lacks the vinaceous color, has different ring and spore characteristics.

Photo sources:

Photo 1 - Author: Chloe and Trevor Van Loon (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Photo 2 - Author: Kayla Sweeten (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Photo 3 - Author: Chloe and Trevor Van Loon (CC BY 4.0)

Photo 4 - Author: Mandy Hackney (CC BY 4.0)