Key to Gilled Mushrooms KeyThis is a key to gilled mushrooms, that is, mushrooms having a definite cap with a fertile surface consisting of gills. The fruiting body usually also has a stem, although that may be lateral or absent (usually, then, the mushroom is growing from wood). You can use this key to identify mushrooms that you find.
Agaricales OrderFruiting body containing fibers (usually in the stalk)
Agaricus GenusGills free
Spore print chocolate brown
Annulus almost always present, usually membranous
The gills are usually pink or silvery-grey at first, but are colored chocolate brown at maturity from the developing spores
The cap and stalk are usually some sort of white or greyish brown, but may have fibrils or scales that are darker (like the portobello)
Growing on the ground, wood chips, or other organic debris
Agaricus Section
Diagnosis
- Partial veil thin, cottony
-
Annulus scant, sometimes absent
-
Flesh not changing color, either when bruised or in KOH
-
Gills commonly pink at first, changing to the color of the spores at maturity
Narrow down your identification:
Agaricus campestrisCap up to 4" across; sometimes slightly fibrillose; usually white, sometimes greying or becoming brownish grey with age
Usually in open, grassy areas
