Yellow stainer - Agaricus xanthodermus
- The Foraging Course Company
- Jun 11
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 17
Poisonous mushroom - intermediate Season - summer to autumn Common names Yellow stainer, yellow staining mushroom
Scientific name meaning: Agaricus comes from the Greek Agarikon, meaning mushroom. The species names comes from the Greek xanth, meaning yellow, and derma, meaning skin
Habitat  The yellow stainer is found in grassland, disturbed soil and woodland. |
Overall structure and growth  The yellow stainer is a saprobic mushroom living on dead and decaying organic matter. It grows in rings and partials rings, but single fruits or clumps are often found. |
Cap  The cap starts off roughly spherical and flattens out with age reaching 5 to 15cm. It is bright white when young, greying, mostly towards the centre, with age. When the cap is damaged, it will bruise bright yellow very quickly. |
Gills and spores  Starting off white, the gills become pink and eventually chocolate brown. The gills are crowded and free (do not touch the stem). The spore colour is dark brown. |
Stem  Sturdy and white in colour, the stem can reach 10cm tall, and is 1 to 2cm wide. It has a large floppy ring or skirt. The stem bruises yellow where damaged, most markedly at its base. |
Flesh, taste and smell The flesh is white and stains chrome yellow when damaged in the stem base and cap area. The smell is unpleasant, phenol or iodine. The taste is mild. |
Possible lookalikes  Could be confused with some of the edible Agaricus - such as the horse mushroom (Agaricus arvensis), pictured, or field mushroom (Agaricus campestris). |
Poisonous parts All parts are poisonous Hazards This mushroom is poisonous
Use in herbal medicine and medicine Some sources report antibiotic and anticancer properties
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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