Medusa mushroom - Agaricus bohusii
- The Foraging Course Company
- Jun 1
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 5
Edible mushroom - novice Season - summer to autumn Common names Medusa mushroom, Medusa fungus
Scientific name meaning: Agaricus comes from the Greek Agarikon, meaning mushroom. Bohusii comes from the name of Hungarian mycologist Gábor Bohus
Habitat  The medusa mushroom grows in woodland and under trees. |
Overall structure and growth  The Medusa mushroom is a saprobic mushroom living in the ground and feeding on dead and decaying leaf litter. It is usually found in tightly packed groups with many fruit bodies in one area. The fruit bodies have obviously scaly caps. |
Cap  The cap surface colour is white with thick raised, pointed brown scales. It is domed, almost spherical, when it emerges from the ground and flattens out with age. Sometimes the edge of the cap becomes jagged looking from the scales overhanging the edge. It is between 5 and 15cm wide. |
Gills and spores  The gills off pale, almost white, then turning reddish brown and finally black. They are crowded and free of the stem. The spore colour is chocolate brown. |
Stem  Sturdy and white in colour, the stem is usually 1 to 2.5cm wide and 5 to 20 cm tall. It has thick ring, or skirt, with cogwheel-like sections. Below the skirt the stem is very fibrous, almost scaly, and is smoother above. The base of the stem tapers. |
Flesh, taste and smell  The flesh is very pale brown, bruising pink/red and slowly turning brown when damaged. The smell and taste is mushroomy and a little meaty. |
Possible lookalikes  Could be confused with the scaly wood mushroom (Agaricus langei), pictured, or blushing wood mushroom (Agaricus sylvaticus) but these are both edible. At first glance, the medusa mushroom may be confused with shaggy parasols, but these have pale cream gills. |
Use as food Must be cooked and can be used exactly as a cultivated mushroom. It has a very rich meaty flavour. This mushroom is often recorded as uncommon to rare so only a small amount of harvesting from abundant patches is advised Hazards This mushroom can grow on the roadside 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 shown potential antifungal and antioxidant properties for the Medusa mushroom
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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