Reddish mushroom (Agaricus semotus)
- Division: Basidiomycota (Basidiomycetes)
- Subdivision: Agaricomycotina (Agaricomycetes)
- Class: Agaricomycetes (Agaricomycetes)
- Subclass: Agaricomycetidae (Agaricomycetes)
- Order: Agaricales (Agaric or Lamellar)
- Family: Agaricaceae (Champignon)
- Genus: Agaricus (champignon)
- Type: Agaricus semotus (Red mushroom)
:
- Psalliota semota (Fr.) Quél., 1880
- Pratella semota (Fr.) Gillet, 1884
- Fungus semotus (Fr.) Kuntze, 1898
Current title: Agaricus semotus Fr., Monographia Hymenomycetum Sueciae 2: 347 (1863)
Reddish champignon is a forest mushroom of the order Agaricales. It, like many of its relatives, can be found in wooded and humid areas in the southern United States, from California to Florida; as well as in Europe, the UK and New Zealand. In Ukraine, the fungus grows in Polissya, in the Left-bank forest-steppe, in the Carpathians.
The fungus can be found from July to November in coniferous and mixed forests, meadows and pastures, in the steppe.
head with a diameter of 2 – 6 cm, first hemispherical, then flat-prostrate; the edges are first bent, then straightened or slightly raised. The surface of the cap is creamy-beige, covered with appressed wine-brown to yellowish-brown scales, especially dense in the center and more scattered towards the edges; when pressed, the hat turns yellow.
Hymenophore lamellar. The plates are free, frequent, of medium width, at first creamy, gray-pink, then becoming light brown, dark brown at maturity.
spore powder dark brown. Spores are smooth, ellipsoid, thick-walled, 4,5-5,5 * 3-3,5 microns, light brown.
Leg 0,4-0,8 cm thick and 3-7 cm high, made, it can be even, narrowed or expanded towards the base; the surface is silky, longitudinally fibrous in the upper part, smooth with scattered fibrous scales here and there; white to cream color, becoming yellowish to yellowish brown when damaged.
Ring apical, membranous, thin and narrow, fragile, white.
Pulp whitish, soft, thin, with the aroma and taste of anise.
Information about edibility is conflicting. In most sources, the mushroom is indicated as conditionally edible (you need to boil for 10 minutes, drain the broth, then you can fry, boil, pickle). In one English-language source, it was written that the mushroom may be poisonous to some sensitive people, and it is better not to eat it.
Agaricus sylvicola (Agaricus sylvicola)
The reddish mushroom may be confused with Agaricus silvicola, which is larger and has a smooth, creamy cap.
Similar and Agaricus diminutivus, which is a little smaller.