Toxic lookalike
Yellow Stainer
Agaricus xanthodermus
The yellow stainer has a smooth white to grayish cap without brown fibrous scales, turns chrome yellow at the stem base when cut, and smells of ink or phenol rather than almonds.
The Prince
Agaricus augustus
Edible
Also called prince mushroom.
The prince is a large Agaricus with a cap covered in golden brown scales, a big ring, and a strong smell of almonds. It grows on disturbed ground and under conifers, mostly in the West. Its main toxic lookalikes are the yellow stainer and the scaly, ink-smelling flat-top agaricus.
The tell
Large cap covered in golden brown fibrous scales, bruising yellow, with a big skirt-like ring and a strong almond smell.
Field marks
What to look at
Cap, underside and stem show in a photo. The spore print does not, and it is often the deciding check.
- Cap
- Squarish to rounded in the button stage, then convex to flat. Covered in brown to golden brown fibrous scales on a whitish to yellowish background, bruising yellow.
- Underside
- Gills free from the stem, crowded, whitish to pale pink at first, then chocolate brown. Young gills are covered by a thick white veil.
- Stem
- Tall, white, stout, covered in soft white to brownish scales below a large, skirt-like ring. Bruises yellow. No cup.
- Flesh
- Thick and white. Smell strong, of almonds or marzipan.
- Spore print
- Chocolate brown.
- Size
- Cap 3 to 10 inches wide (7.5 to 25 cm); stem 3 to 8 inches tall (7.5 to 20 cm).
Where and when
Where and when it grows
- Habitat
- Disturbed ground, roadsides, gardens, parks and the edges of conifer and mixed forests, often near conifers.
- Grows on
- Soil and rich organic debris.
- Season
- Summer through fall, and spring in some areas of the West.
- Range
- Widespread in western North America, with scattered records in the East.
Lookalikes
What the the prince gets confused with
Each card says how to tell the two apart.
Flat-top agaricus
Agaricus placomyces and its relatives have fine gray-brown to blackish scales on a flat-topped cap, flesh that turns yellow at the stem base, and an ink or phenol smell. They cause gastrointestinal upset.
EdibleHorse Mushroom
Agaricus fissuratus
The horse mushroom has a smooth white to cream cap without brown scales, smells of anise, and grows mostly in pastures and lawns.
Edibility
What the field guides say
Edible
Field guides list the prince as edible and well regarded. The same guides note that Agaricus species which stain yellow and smell of ink or phenol, including the yellow stainer and the flat-top agaricus group, cause gastrointestinal upset. The almond smell of the prince separates it from those species.
This page states what field guides record. It is not advice to eat, taste or handle anything, and a photo cannot settle edibility. If someone has eaten a wild mushroom that may be toxic, call poison control (1-800-222-1222 in the US) right away, before symptoms start: the deadliest species act hours later.
FAQ
Questions about the the prince
Is Agaricus augustus edible?
Field guides list the prince as edible. Its toxic lookalikes are yellow-staining Agaricus species that smell of ink or phenol, such as the yellow stainer, rather than of almonds.
What does the prince mushroom smell like?
It has a strong smell of almonds or marzipan. Toxic yellow-staining Agaricus species smell of ink, phenol or creosote instead.
Where does the prince mushroom grow?
On disturbed ground, along roadsides, in gardens and parks, and under conifers. It is most common in western North America, with scattered records in the East.
Sources
Where these facts come from
- Agaricus augustus
MushroomExpert.com
- Agaricus augustus
Beaty Biodiversity Museum, University of British Columbia
- Agaricus augustus
MykoWeb, California Fungi
- Agaricus augustus
Index Fungorum
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