Shaggy parasol - Chlorophyllum rhacodes
- The Foraging Course Company
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Edible (with caution) mushroom - intermediate Season - summer to autumn Common names Shaggy parasol. Chlorophyllum brunneum and Chlorophyllum olivieri are also sometimes referred to as shaggy parasols, the former of which is poisonous
Scientific name meaning: Chlorophyllum is from the Greek chloros, meaning green, and phyllon, meaning leaves or green stuff. This is a reference to green spored and green gilled Chlorophyllum species. Rhacodes is also from a Greek word, rhakos, meaning rags or tatters
Habitat  The shaggy parasols is saprobic, feeding off the decaying organic matter in the soil. It can be found in woodland or near, near to trees or on compost heaps. |
Overall structure and growth  The fruit bodies are fairly large and can be found as single specimens but are more often found in large groups or rings. When young, the fruit bodies look like maracas. |
Cap  The large caps can reach between 5 and 15cm. The white cap flesh is covered in ragged brown scales, which are concentrated in the centre of the cap giving a nipple like appearance. It generally has a tattered, rough appearance. |
Gills and spores  The white to cream gills are crowded and free of the stem. They bruise orange-red if damaged. The spore colour is white to pale cream. |
Stem  The fibrous stem can reach 10 to 20cm tall, making this mushroom particularly easy to spot, and between 2 and 2.5cm wide. It is swollen at the base. The lower half of the stem tends to be brown. A substantial double-ring/skirt is present and this can be slid up and down the stem. In mature specimens, this often falls to the bottom of the stem. |
Flesh, taste and smell  The flesh is white and will bruise orange-red if damaged. The smell is pleasant and mushroomy, and taste is earthy and mild. |
Possible lookalikes  Confused with the toxic brown parasol (Chlorophyllum brunneum) but this has a simple ring and an abruptly swollen stem base. Dapperlings (Lepiota or Echnioderma spp), example pictured, most of which are poisonous, could be mistaken. They are much smaller with caps less than 12cm in diameter. Edible parasols are similar but don't bruise and have a snakeskin pattern on the stem. |
Use as food A good tasting mushroom that must be thoroughly cooked before consumption. It is thought to be toxic when raw. Despite its edibility, a small proportion of people have a gastric reaction to shaggy parasols Hazards A small proportion of people have severe gastric reactions to this mushroom. Tolerance tests are strongly advised when trying this mushroom for the first time
Use in herbal medicine and medicine None known
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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