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Umbrella mushrooms belong to the Champignon family and owe their name to their original appearance. Indeed, these edible mushrooms resemble umbrellas opened in the rain. These gifts of the forest have a delicious taste, which is why they are extremely appreciated by lovers of "quiet hunting".

On this page you can find out what umbrella mushrooms look like, where they grow and how to distinguish umbrella mushrooms from other mushrooms. You can also familiarize yourself with photos and descriptions of various types of umbrella mushrooms (white, variegated and reddening).

What does an umbrella mushroom look like, a photo of a mushroom

Category: edible.

Cap of white umbrella mushroom (Macrolepiota excoriata) (diameter 7-13 cm): usually gray-white, fleshy, with lagging scales, may be cream or light brown. In young mushrooms, it has the shape of an egg, over time it becomes almost flat, with a pronounced brown tubercle in the center.

Pay attention to the photo of the white umbrella mushroom: the edges of its cap are covered with whitish fibers.

Leg (height 5-14 cm): hollow, in the form of a cylinder. Usually slightly curved, white, darker below the ring. Visibly browns on touch.

Plates: white, very frequent and loose. In an old mushroom, they turn brown or with a brown tint.

Pulp: white, with a pleasant impatient smell. When interacting with air, the color on the cut does not change.

The white umbrella mushroom looks like a variegated species (Macrolepiota procera), but it is much larger. Also, the white variety resembles the mastoid umbrella (Macrolepiota mastoidea), the Konrad umbrella mushroom (Macrolepiota konradii), and the poisonous inedible lepiota (Lepiota helveola). Konrad's species has a skin that does not completely cover the cap, the mastoid umbrella has a pointed cap, and the poisonous lepiota is not only much smaller, but also with flesh turning pink at the site of a break or cut.

When it grows: from mid-June to early October in almost all countries of the Eurasian continent, as well as in North America, North Africa and Australia.

Where can I find: in relatively free areas of all types of forests - clearings, forest edges, pastures and meadows.

Eating: usually combined with fish or meat dishes. In adult mushrooms, only the caps need to be taken, the legs are most often hollow or fibrous. A very tasty mushroom, especially popular in traditional Chinese cuisine.

Application in traditional medicine (data not confirmed and not passed clinical trials!): as a remedy for rheumatism.

Other names: field mushroom umbrella.

Edible mushroom umbrella blushing and its photo

Category: edible.

Cap of an umbrella mushroom blushing (Chlorophyllum rhacodes) (diameter 7-22 cm): beige, gray or light brown, with fibrous scales. In young mushrooms, it has the shape of a small chicken egg, which then slowly spreads out to a bell-shaped one, and then becomes almost flat, as a rule, with rolled edges.

Leg (height 6-26 cm): very smooth, light brown or white, darkens over time.

In the photo of the umbrella mushroom of this variety, it is clearly visible that the hollow, cylindrical stem tapers from bottom to top. Easily detaches from the cap.

Plates: usually white or creamy. When pressed, they become orange, pink or reddish.

Pulp: fibrous and brittle, white.

If you look closely at the photo of an umbrella mushroom that turns red, you can see red-brown stains on its cut. This is especially noticeable in the pulp of the leg. Possesses pleasant taste and aroma.

Doubles: Umbrella mushrooms are maiden (Leucoagaricus nympharum), graceful (Macrolepiota gracilenta) and variegated (Macrolepiota procera). The hat of the girl's umbrella is lighter, and the color of its pulp practically does not change at the place of the break or cut. The graceful umbrella mushroom is smaller, the flesh also does not change color.The variegated umbrella is larger than the blushing one and does not change the color of the pulp when exposed to air. Also, the blushing umbrella mushroom has similarities with the poisonous Chlorophyllum brunneum and lead-slag chlorophyllum (Chlorophyllum molybdites). But the first chlorophyllum can be distinguished from the blushing umbrella mushroom by the brownish color of the cap and legs, also by the large scales on the cap, and lead-slag grows only in North America.

When it grows: from mid June to early November in European and Asian countries, as well as in North America and North Africa.

Where can I find: prefers fertile and humus-rich soils of deciduous forests. It is found in meadows, forest clearings or in city parks and squares.

Eating: in almost any form, it is only necessary to cleanse the mushroom from hard scales.

Application in traditional medicine: does not apply.

Important! According to scientists, a blushing umbrella mushroom can cause severe allergic reactions, so allergy sufferers should be careful when using it.

Other names: mushroom-umbrella shaggy.

Mushroom umbrella motley: photo and description

Category: edible.

Cap of the variegated umbrella mushroom (Macrolepiota procera) (diameter 15-38 cm): fibrous, gray or beige, with dark brown scales. In young mushrooms, it has the shape of a ball or a large chicken egg, then it opens to a cone, then it becomes like an umbrella.

As you can see in the photo of the variegated umbrella mushroom, the edges of its cap are usually bent towards the inner side, and in the center there is a dark, round tubercle.

Leg (height 10-35 cm): uniform, brown. Often with rings of scales, with a ring or remnants of a veil on the leg. Hollow and fibrous, it is cylindrical and easily detaches from the cap. A rounded thickening is noticeable at the very base.

Plates: frequent and loose, white or light gray. Easily detached from the cap.

Pulp: loose and white. Has a faint but pleasant mushroom aroma, tastes like walnuts or mushrooms.

According to the description, the variegated umbrella mushroom is similar to poisonous chlorophyllum - lead and slag (Chlorophyllum molybdites) and Chlorophyllum brunneum. Lead-slag is much smaller than the variegated umbrella mushroom and is found only in North America, and the flesh of Chlorophyllum brunneum changes color at the site of a cut or fracture. Also, the variegated umbrella mushroom can be confused with the edible graceful umbrella (Macrolepiota gracilenta) and blushing (Chlorophyllum rhacodes). But the graceful one is much smaller, and the reddening not only less, but also changes the color of the pulp.

When it grows: from mid-June to early November in temperate countries of the Eurasian continent, as well as in North and South America, Australia, Cuba and Sri Lanka.

Where can I find: on sandy soils and open spaces, and not only in forest meadows or forest edges, but also in city parks and squares.

Eating: after preliminary cleansing of scales, the caps can be used in cooking in almost any form, including cheese. The legs are hard, so they are not eaten. The colorful umbrella tastes like champignons. Especially appreciated by French gourmets, who recommend frying it in oil with herbs. The only drawback is that this mushroom is very fried. In Italy, the colorful umbrella is called mazza di tamburo (drumsticks).

Application in traditional medicine (data not confirmed and not passed clinical trials!): in the form of a decoction as a remedy in the treatment of rheumatism.

Other names: big umbrella mushroom, tall umbrella mushroom, "drumsticks".