Agaricus augustus

Fr.

The Prince, mushroom

AgaricaceaeMushroomsPotential hazards — see below

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Mushroom, Fungus

This mushroom is a choice edible for most people. It is collected widely for consumption in Eurasia, Canada, the United States, and some parts of Mexico.

Known Hazards

A. augustus has been implicated in bioaccumulating the metal cadmium, with a quantity of 2.44 mg per kilogram of fresh weight as recorded in one Swiss study. The same phenomenon is true for other edible species of Agaricus, namely A. arvensis, A. macrosporus and A. silvicola, though quantities may vary greatly depending on species, which part of the fruiting body is analysed, and the level of contamination of the substrate. Specimens collected near metal smelters and urban areas have a higher cadmium content. The hymenium contains the highest concentration of metal, followed by the rest of the cap, while the lower part of the stem contains the least.

Where to Find It

It is a temperate plant.

Asia, Australia, Britain, Caucasus, China, Europe, Georgia, Hungary, Mexico, North America, Pakistan, USA,

Countries: Andorra, United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Antigua & Barbuda, Albania, Armenia, Austria, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Barbados, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bulgaria, Bahrain, Brunei, Bahamas, Bhutan, Belarus, Belize, Canada, Switzerland, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, United Kingdom, Grenada, Georgia, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Croatia, Haiti, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Iceland, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, St Kitts & Nevis, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, St Lucia, Liechtenstein, Sri Lanka, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Monaco, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Myanmar, Mongolia, Malta, Maldives, Mexico, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Netherlands, Norway, Nepal, Oman, Panama, Philippines, Pakistan, Poland, Puerto Rico, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Serbia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Singapore, Slovenia, Slovakia, San Marino, El Salvador, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Trinidad & Tobago, Taiwan, Ukraine, United States, Uzbekistan, St Vincent, Vietnam, Yemen

How to Identify

A mushroom. The fruiting bodies have thick flesh and are firm and white. The caps can be 25 cm across.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Agaricus augustus, known commonly as the prince, is a basidiomycete fungus of the genus Agaricus. It is generally edible, but bioaccumulates the metal cadmium.

Notes

There are about 300 Agaricus species.

Names & Synonyms

Dazigu, Sanjuanero del oyamel, Tskhvario

Psalliota augusta (Fr.) Quel.

References (12)

Boa, E. R., 2004, Wild edible fungi and their importance to people. FAO Non Wood Forest Products Booklet 17
Bussman, R. W., et al, 2016, A comparative ethnobotany of Khevsureti, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Tusheti, Svaneti, and Racha-Lechkhumi, Republic of Georgia (Sakartvelo), Caucasus. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine (2016) 12:43
Bussman, R. W. et al, 2017, Ethnobotany of Samtskhe-Javakheti, Sakartvelo (Republic of Georgia), (Caucasus). Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. 16(1) pp 7-24
Estrada-Martinez, E., et al, 2009, Contribucion al conocimiento etnomicologico de los Hongos Comestibles Silvestres de Mercados Regionales y Comunidades de la Sierra Nevada (Mexico). Intercienca Jan 2009 Vol. 34 No. 1 Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 249
Fuhrer, B., 2005, A field guide to Australian Fungi. Bloomings Books. p 18
http://www.mykoweb.com/CAF/edible.html
Jordan, P., 2000, The Mushroom Guide and Identifier, Hermes House, p 28
Kaufmann, B. et al, 1999, The Great Encyclopedia of Mushrooms. Konemann. p 161
Montoya, A., et al, 2014, Availability of Wild Edible Fungi in La Malinche National park, Mexico. Journal of Mycology. Article ID 241896, 15 pages
Pace, G., 1998, Mushrooms of the world. Firefly books. p 48 (As Psalliota augusta)
Vetner, J., 2004, Arsenic content of some edible mushroom species. Eur. Food Res. Technol. 219: 71-74
www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au