Leucoagaricus leucothites
Description
Leucoagaricus leucothites is a common and globally distributed mushroom, often found in urban parks, gardens, and grassy areas, though it occasionally makes an appearance in forests. This mushroom has a distinctive elegance, with a smooth, white to pale gray-brown cap that starts convex and may look slightly lumpy in its young stage.
⚠️ Look-Alike Alert: Leucoagaricus leucothites closely resembles the poisonous Amanita species (such as the Destroying Angel), which also have white gills. This similarity can be dangerous, so general guidelines recommend avoiding all white-gilled mushrooms unless you are highly confident in your identification.
🌎 Distribution & Habitat: Leucoagaricus leucothites enjoys a worldwide presence, favoring human-influenced environments but also found in natural areas. It thrives in lawns and parks, especially in the fall, though it may also pop up in spring and summer.
🍽️ Edibility: While some sources say it’s edible, others caution against eating it due to potential stomach-upsetting toxins. Given its similarity to toxic Amanitas, many experts advise leaving this mushroom to its natural habitat rather than the dinner plate.
🧬 Taxonomy & Naming:
Species: Leucoagaricus leucothites
Family: Agaricaceae
First Described: As Agaricus leucothites by Carlo Vittadini in 1835
Originally named Agaricus leucothites, this mushroom was later reclassified by mycologist Solomon Wasser in 1977 to Leucoagaricus leucothites, its current name.
📜 Meaning Behind the Name:
Genus Name (Leucoagaricus): Derived from Greek, "Leuco-" means "white," and "Agaricus" refers to the true mushrooms, like Field Mushrooms, highlighting its white appearance and similarity to Agaricus species.
Species Name (leucothites): Also rooted in Greek, "leucos" means "white," while "thites" refers to the lowest social class, hinting at it being an edible, but not especially prized, mushroom.
Common names: White Dapperling, White Agaricus Mushroom, Ma'am on Motorcycle, Smooth Parasol, Woman-on-motorcycle.
Mushroom Identification
🍄 Cap
Size: 1.97 to 4.33 inches (5 to 11 cm), occasionally reaching 5.91 inches (15 cm)
Shape: Convex when young, becoming broadly convex to flat with age
Surface: Soft, sometimes scaly or smooth; white or grayish-white, may stain yellowish or brownish
Texture: Silky and smooth, occasionally with fine scales
🍂 Gills
Attachment: Free from the stem
Color: White when young, often turning pale pink or flesh-colored with age
Spacing: Crowded with shorter gills mixed in
🌱 Stem
Size: 2.36 to 3.94 inches (6 to 10 cm) long; 0.39 to 0.59 inches (1 to 1.5 cm) thick
Shape: Club-shaped with a bulbous base
Surface: Smooth above the ring, finely fibrous below
Color: White, bruising yellowish or brownish
Ring: White, usually persistent but may fall off
🧬 Flesh
Color: White
Reaction: May turn yellowish in the stem base when cut or bruised
🌍 Habitat & Ecology
Type: Saprobic (feeds on decaying organic matter)
Location: Grassy areas, parks, gardens, pastures, roadsides, and sometimes woods
Season: Late summer through fall (sometimes in spring)
Distribution: Widely found in North America, especially around conifers
🔬 Spores
Spore Print: White
Shape: Elliptical (8-11 x 5-6.5 µm), thick-walled, with a small pore
Microscopic Reaction: Dextrinoid (stains with iodine)
👃 Odor and Taste
Odor: Mild or not distinctive
Taste: Mild
Look-Alikes
1️⃣ Amanita virosa
Key Differences: Vulva (cup at base of the stem), skirt-like ring.
Caution: Highly toxic and potentially lethal.
2️⃣ Agaricus campestris
Key Differences: Gills start pink and turn brown as spores mature, while Leucoagaricus leucothites has consistently white gills.
Often grows in similar environments, leading to frequent confusion.
3️⃣ Chlorophyllum molybdites
Key Differences: Green spore print, cap scales, and sometimes the buttons stain.
Caution: Known to cause gastrointestinal distress if ingested.
4️⃣ Other Leucoagaricus Species
Key Differences: Some have a more fibrillose (fibrous) surface on the cap and may stain red upon bruising.
5️⃣ Leucocoprinus Species with White Cap
Key Differences: Generally smaller, with a distinctly plicate (wrinkled) margin on the cap.
6️⃣ Limacella Species
Key Differences: Sticky or viscid cap when moist (can dry smooth), inverse lamellar trama, non-amyloid spores without a germ pore, often lacks an annulus (ring on stem).
Synonyms
Agaricus pudicus Bulliard (1793)
Hypophyllum scissum Paulet (1808) [1793]
Agaricus pudicus var. a alba Mérat (1821)
Agaricus excoriatus Lasch (1828)
Agaricus leucothites Vittadini (1835)
Agaricus sphaerophorus Krombholz (1836)
Agaricus naucinus Fries (1838) [1836-38]
Lepiota naucina (Fries) P. Kummer (1871)
Lepiota pudica (Bulliard) Quélet (1886)
Lepiota naucina var. leucothites(Vittadini) Saccardo (1887)
Mastocephalus naucinus (Fries) Kuntze (1891)
Leucocoprinus pudicus (Fries) Locquin (1945)
Leucoagaricus naucinus (Fries) Singer (1951) [1949]
Lepiota leucothites (Vittadini) P.D. Orton (1960)
Leucoagaricus carneifolius var. leucothites(Vittadini) Bon (1977)
Leucoagaricus pudicus (Bulliard) M.M. Moser ex Bon (1981)
Photo sources:
Photo 1 - Author: Ron Pastorino (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Photo 2 - Author: walt sturgeon (Mycowalt) (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Photo 3 - Author: Chase G. Mayers (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo 4 - Author: Chase G. Mayers (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo 5 - Author: Ericsteinert at German Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)