About this fungus
Reddening Lepiota is a fungus in the Agaricaceae family. Its habitat and field characteristics are summarised below.
A large pale parasol-like mushroom with reddish-brown cap scales, a ring and a swollen stem base. Damaged flesh changes through yellow-orange to red and then brown.
What to check
Confirm free white to cream gills, a ring, a distinctly enlarged stem base and strong red-brown staining after cutting or handling. Carefully expose the complete base and confirm there is no sack-like volva. A white spore print supports the identification.
Lookalikes
White Amanita can be deadly and have a volva around the stem base. Green-spored Parasol has a greenish mature spore print and can cause severe gastrointestinal illness. Other parasols and small Lepiota overlap, so reddening alone is not enough.
Habitat and range
Saprotrophic on woodchip, compost-rich beds, waste ground, decayed stumps and other disturbed sites. Native to North America but recorded in other regions, often where woody material has been incorporated into soil.
Food safety
Edibility is uncertain or disputed.
Photographs
Amanita77 / CC BY-SA 3.0