(Lepiota, Macrolepiota) The Shaggy Parasol. Known for its red-staining flesh, scaly cap, white free gills, movable ring, bulbous base, and nutty flavor.  Another similar popular edible is Lepiota americana, which bruises yellow. Some people experience gastrointestinal pain and diarrhea when eating one or both of these mushrooms, so it is recommended that when you try them for the first time, just eat a small portion to taste and see who you react.  The same caution can be suggestion for eating anything from nuts to grains or vegetables! 022-001

« Photo by Sam Ristich. 021-001
EDIBLE MUSHROOMS & POISONOUS LOOK-A-LIKES by Dianna Smith
The Shaggy Parasol is closely related to Chlorophyllym molybdites, a poisonous look-a-like which appears in similar habitats - park lawns, along sidewalks. Eating this mushroom will likely cause gastrointestinal problems, which while not fatal, will be very unpleasant. The best way to differentiate this Chlorophyllum molybdites from Chlorophyllum rachodes is to take a spore-print. The former has a white spore-print, while the latter’s spore-print is green. In fact, given sufficient time the gills will also turn green. The other way to tell the difference between them is to see if your specimen bruises reddish before slowly turning brown (C. rachodes). 023-001 »