The image, above, shows a range of pictures of Wood mushrooms(Agaricus silvicola), showing a closed cap and open cap
form, a young mushroom cut in half, closed cap form on its side
and a large open cap cut and inverted to show the gills..
| wood Common Name: Wood Mushroom |
| Scientific Name: Agaricus silvicola (also Agaricus sylvicola) |
| Other Names: Woodland Agaricus, Madarch y Coed (CY) |
| Family: Agaricaceae |
| Range: Europe (including Britain) and North America |
Physical Characteristics
Agaricus silvicola is a saprophytic fungus, growing to 15cm by 15cm in size. It is typically associated with both deciduous and coniferous woodland in Europe (including Britain) and North America. Fruiting in the autumn, it is rarely seen in huge numbers, usually just a few, or solitary.
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| Edible Parts: Caps, Stipes |
 Spore Print: Brown/Purple
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  Cap: Convex or Flat
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 Hymenium: Free
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 Gills: Gills on hymenium
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 Stipe: Bears a Ring
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 Edibility Rating: 4 
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 Known Hazards: Edible, but may cause allergic reactions in those susceptible.
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Monthly Availability:
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Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Wild Food guide to Wood Mushroom along with all the Wood Mushroom containing recipes presented on this site, with 37 recipes in total.
These recipes, all contain Wood Mushroom as a major wild food ingredient.
The Wood Mushroom, Agaricus silvicola, (also known as the Woodland Agaricus) is a basidiomycete fungus (filamentous fungi composed of hyphae that reproduce sexually) and is a member of the Agaricaceae (Agaricus) family of fungi. Its species name silvicola is derived from the Latin and means 'inhabiting woods' which is the environment in which its invariably encountered. After the Clouded Funnel, Clitocybe nebularis, the Wood Mushroom is probably the most commonly encountered of the large pale forest mushrooms found in Britain and Ireland. It is typically found from August to November in Britain and Ireland; through to February in southern Europe.
The cap is light cream, and bruises yellow ochre when damaged. It is 5–15cm in diameter, which makes it slightly smaller than its close relative A. arvensis. The stem is 5–15cm long and usually bulbous at the base. It is much the same colour as the cap, and has a fragile drooping ring. The flesh is thin, white, and smells of almond or anise. A. silvicola, like other species in Agaricus section Arvenses, exhibits a positive Schäffer's reaction and potassium hydroxide (KOH) reaction. The spores are brown, elliptical, and smooth.
The cap of the wood mushroom is typically 8-12cm in diameter, but can be up to 15 cm. The colour is off-white/cream bruising ochraceous and becoming yellow with age. The gills are crowded and free of the stem. Gills pale grey/pink at first turning a dark chocolate brown. The stem is 8–14cm long and 1-1.5 cm diameter. It is white/off-white with a pendulous ring and slightly bulbous base. The skirt is superior and its underside underside is covered in triangular scales giving a 'cog-wheel' pattern. The flesh is white and quite thin.
Like the closely related horse mushroom, the wood mushroom is an excellent eating mushroom. It smells of aniseed, to some slightly almondy. The taste is mushroomy. It's recommended that it should be cooked before consumption. Like all Agaricus species wood mushrooms lend themselves well to preserving by drying.
Possible Confusion:
The Yellow Stainer (Agaricus xanthodermus) looks very alike but bruises chrome yellow when handled or cut and smells of Indian ink, phenol, iodine. Note that the wood mushroom has a habit of turning a progressively strong yellow with age and with bruising. Note that the yellow stainer turns instantly yellow with cutting or bruising. Agaricus arvensis, the Horse Mushroom, a good eating species is similar in appearance (and closely related) and also has an aniseed smell; it appears in grassland, often growing in rings. Apart from the very different habitat, it would be possible to mistake Wood Mushrooms for Horse Mushrooms, because they look and smell quite similar; however, the stem base of Agaricus sylvicola is relatively longer and slimmer, and it has a noticeably bulbous base.
Note on nomenclature: An alternative spelling Agaricus sylvicola is equally common; this spelling is preferred by some authorities. Agaricus sylvicola is the spelling used on Index Fungorum. At the time of writing the majority of online resources including the British Mycological Society use the form 'silvicola'.
For other edible mushrooms, see the guide to edible mushrooms
[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1999
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–12.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants, 2004
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland, 2011
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) — How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland, 2006
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles, 1983
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles, 1987
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms, 2006
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms, 2011
[12]. Bunker, F. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland, Second Edition, 2017
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia II — A Source Book of Edible Plants, 1998
[14]. Hartford, R. Edible and Medicinal Wild Plants of Britain and Ireland: A Foraging and Photographic Identification Guide
(Note that the above book links are Amazon Affiliate links)
These recipes, all contain Wood Mushroom as a major wild food ingredient.
The Wood Mushroom, Agaricus silvicola, (also known as the Woodland Agaricus) is a basidiomycete fungus (filamentous fungi composed of hyphae that reproduce sexually) and is a member of the Agaricaceae (Agaricus) family of fungi. Its species name silvicola is derived from the Latin and means 'inhabiting woods' which is the environment in which its invariably encountered. After the Clouded Funnel, Clitocybe nebularis, the Wood Mushroom is probably the most commonly encountered of the large pale forest mushrooms found in Britain and Ireland. It is typically found from August to November in Britain and Ireland; through to February in southern Europe.
The cap is light cream, and bruises yellow ochre when damaged. It is 5–15cm in diameter, which makes it slightly smaller than its close relative A. arvensis. The stem is 5–15cm long and usually bulbous at the base. It is much the same colour as the cap, and has a fragile drooping ring. The flesh is thin, white, and smells of almond or anise. A. silvicola, like other species in Agaricus section Arvenses, exhibits a positive Schäffer's reaction and potassium hydroxide (KOH) reaction. The spores are brown, elliptical, and smooth.
The cap of the wood mushroom is typically 8-12cm in diameter, but can be up to 15 cm. The colour is off-white/cream bruising ochraceous and becoming yellow with age. The gills are crowded and free of the stem. Gills pale grey/pink at first turning a dark chocolate brown. The stem is 8–14cm long and 1-1.5 cm diameter. It is white/off-white with a pendulous ring and slightly bulbous base. The skirt is superior and its underside underside is covered in triangular scales giving a 'cog-wheel' pattern. The flesh is white and quite thin.
Like the closely related horse mushroom, the wood mushroom is an excellent eating mushroom. It smells of aniseed, to some slightly almondy. The taste is mushroomy. It's recommended that it should be cooked before consumption. Like all Agaricus species wood mushrooms lend themselves well to preserving by drying.
Possible Confusion:
The Yellow Stainer (Agaricus xanthodermus) looks very alike but bruises chrome yellow when handled or cut and smells of Indian ink, phenol, iodine. Note that the wood mushroom has a habit of turning a progressively strong yellow with age and with bruising. Note that the yellow stainer turns instantly yellow with cutting or bruising. Agaricus arvensis, the Horse Mushroom, a good eating species is similar in appearance (and closely related) and also has an aniseed smell; it appears in grassland, often growing in rings. Apart from the very different habitat, it would be possible to mistake Wood Mushrooms for Horse Mushrooms, because they look and smell quite similar; however, the stem base of Agaricus sylvicola is relatively longer and slimmer, and it has a noticeably bulbous base.
Note on nomenclature: An alternative spelling Agaricus sylvicola is equally common; this spelling is preferred by some authorities. Agaricus sylvicola is the spelling used on Index Fungorum. At the time of writing the majority of online resources including the British Mycological Society use the form 'silvicola'.
For other edible mushrooms, see the guide to edible mushrooms
References:
[1]. David Evans Notes from field observations, tastings and cookery experiments.[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1999
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–12.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants, 2004
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland, 2011
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) — How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland, 2006
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles, 1983
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles, 1987
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms, 2006
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms, 2011
[12]. Bunker, F. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland, Second Edition, 2017
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia II — A Source Book of Edible Plants, 1998
[14]. Hartford, R. Edible and Medicinal Wild Plants of Britain and Ireland: A Foraging and Photographic Identification Guide
(Note that the above book links are Amazon Affiliate links)
The alphabetical list of all Wood Mushroom recipes on this site follows, (limited to 100 recipes per page). There are 37 recipes in total:
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