Agaricus dulcidulus

Description

Agaricus dulcidulus is a small mushroom in the family Agaricaceae of the order Agaricales, found in deciduous forests of Europe, North America, North Africa and Asia.

These mycorrhizal species grow in close relation with different oak species. As a substrate, the fungus prefers moist soil with leaf rot. Basidiocarps appear from late July to early October, depending on the microclimate.

It's edible, but it's small and often sporadic.

Common names: Rosy Wood Mushroom.

Mushroom Identification

1. Cap

   2-7 cm in diameter. Almost spherical or convex at first, with curved edges and flattened caps as they mature. Its surface is densely covered with pink or purple-brown radial fibrils, darkest near the center. The flesh of the cap gradually turns yellow as it is cut and smells like almonds.

2. Gills

   Free, crowded; pale pink, becoming a very dark purplish-brown with age, but retaining lighter gill edges.

3. Stem

   2-5 cm height and 0.4-0.8 cm diameter, bulbous or at least rod-shaped at the base, white near the apex, turning brown towards the base. Young stems bear a fragile pendulous white ring that may be partially or absent in mature specimens. The cut stem turns yellow, often orange and it smells like almonds.

4. Spores

   Ellipsoidal, smooth, 4.5-6.0 x 3.5-4.0μm; inamyloid.

5. Spore Print

   Dark purplish brown.

6. Odor and Taste

   Smell and taste the almonds.

Look-Alikes

1. Agaricus porphyrizon

   It is similar, but on the whole the A. dulcidulus is smaller and has a slender stem, with a paler cap margin, unlike the Lilac Mushroom. It also sometimes has a lilac tinge above the ring, which in itself is more fragile than that of the Lilac Mushroom.

2. Agaricus augustus

   It also smells like almonds, but it's a larger fungus found on conifers.

History

This mushroom was first named and described by Croatian mycologist Stephan Schulzer von Müggenburg (1802 - 1892) in 1874, and the name he gave is still generally accepted today.

The specific epithet dulcidulus comes from the Latin adjective dulcis, meaning sweet. This indicates the sweet/pleasant smell of this mushroom.

Synonyms

1. Agaricus purpurellus (F.H.Møller) F.H.Møller

2. Agaricus rubelloides Bon

3. Agaricus rubellus (Gillet) Sacc.

4. Fungus dulcidulus (Schulzer) Kuntze

5. Pratella rubella Gillet

6. Pratella silvatica var. rubella (Gillet) L.Corb.

7. Psalliota amethystina sensu Lange

8. Psalliota pallens (J.E.Lange) Rea

9. Psalliota purpurella F.H.Møller

10. Psalliota rubella (Gillet) Rea

11. Psalliota rubella f. pallens J.E.Lange

Photo sources:

Photo 1 - Author: Jerzy Opioła (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Photo 2 - Author: Petru Damsa (CC BY-SA 3.0)