Horse mushroom - Agaricus arvensis
- The Foraging Course Company
- May 27
- 2 min read
Updated: 9 minutes ago
Edible mushroom - intermediate Season - summer to autumn Common names Horse mushroom, snowball mushroom, Abrahams
Scientific name meaning: Agaricus comes from the Greek Agarikon, meaning mushroom. Arvensis is New Latin, meaning of or belonging to a field
Habitat  The horse mushroom is often found in grassland that has plenty of decaying organic matter. Is is also sometimes found close to trees that are dropping a lot of leaf litter. |
Overall structure and growth  A saprobic fungus forming mushrooms and living on dead and decaying organic matter under the sward. It grows in rings and partials rings, but single fruits or clumps are often found. |
Cap  Starts off white and yellows with age and when handled. When the fruit is young, the cap is dome-shaped, becoming flattened as it ages. It is usually smooth, but can also have fine scales. The size of the cap can be between 8cm and 30cm. |
Gills and spores  Starting off white, the gills become pink and eventually chocolate brown. They are crowded and free (do not touch the stem). The spore colour is chocolate brown. |
Stem  Sturdy and white in colour, the stem can reach 10cm tall and 2 to 3cm wide. It has a double ring, or skirt, which has a cogwheel pattern on its underside. This is most visible when the skirt is still attached as a partial veil to the underside of the cap. Often the stem is smooth above the ring, and slightly scaly beneath. |
Flesh, taste and smell  The flesh is white and bruises slowly yellow when handled. The smell is mildly aniseed-like and the taste is sweet and floral. |
Possible lookalikes  Could be confused with any of the poisonous Agaricus - such as the yellow stainer (Agaricus xanthodermis), pictured, or inky mushroom (Agaricus moelleri) but these smell unpleasant of phenol or bottled ink and/or stain strongly yellow, particularly in the base of the stem, when bruised or cut. When the gills are white, confusion with poisonous Amanitas. |
Use as food Must be cooked and can be used exactly as a cultivated mushroom. It has an aniseed/perfumed taste that some people do not enjoy Hazards This mushroom can grow on roadside grass verges where it can accumulate traffic-related toxins. It is advisable to avoid harvesting from the sides of busy roads
Use in herbal medicine and medicine Some research has been undertaken into potential antioxidant activity of the horse mushroom. It has been used to treat lumbago and tendon pain in China
If you are suffering from any ailment or need medical advice, please see your General Practitioner Other uses None known Importance to other species Provides food for a the larvae of a number of invertebrates
Always stay safe when foraging. You need to be 100% sure of your identification, 100% sure that your foraged item is edible, and 100% sure that you are not allergic to it (it is good practice to always try a small amount of any new food you are consuming). If in doubt, leave it out!
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