The prince - Agaricus augustus
- The Foraging Course Company
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Edible mushroom - novice Season - summer to autumn Common names The prince, the prince mushroom, prince mushroom
Scientific name meaning: Agaricus comes from the Greek Agarikon, meaning mushroom. Augustus is Latin, meaning notable, majestic or worthy of honour
Habitat  The prince grows where there is leaf litter, either coniferous or deciduous, and can be found in woodland or in grass near trees. |
Overall structure and growth  The prince is a saprobic mushroom living on dead and decaying leaf litter under the ground. It is a particularly large mushroom and as single fruit bodies or in groups. |
Cap  The cap starts off dome-shaped and flattens out as it ages. It is white- to cream-coloured and covered in brown scales that are more concentrated at the centre. The diameter can be between 10cm and 30cm. |
Gills and spores  The gills are almost white when young, becoming pale pink and eventually dark purple-brown. They are crowded and free (do not touch the stem). The spore colour is dark purple-brown. |
Stem  Sturdy and white in colour getting brown tones with age, the stem can reach 10 to 20cm tall and is 2 to 4cm wide. It has a large floppy ring, or skirt, which can disappear with age. The underside of the ring is covered in fluffy scales. The stem is smooth above the ring, with tufty scales beneath. |
Flesh, taste and smell  The flesh is white and slowly bruises yellow, then orange/pink and finally brown when damaged. The smell is of almonds or aniseed and the taste is mild. |
Possible lookalikes  Could be confused with the salty mushroom (Agaricus bernardii), but this is also edible and prefers salty ground, or the tufted wood mushroom (Agaricus impudicus), pictured, which is also edible but this smells of raddish. When the gills are white, confusion with poisonous Amanitas could also be possible, so very young specimens are best avoided by novice foragers. |
Use as food Must be cooked and can be used exactly as a cultivated mushroom. It has an excellent flavour 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 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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