Shaggy Parasols

Welcome back to Mushroom Monday, your weekly look at some of PEI’s fascinating fungi. I taste-tested today’s species for the first time this year, and it’s now among my favourite edible wild mushrooms. Meet the Olive Shaggy Parasol (Chlorophyllum olivieri).

Shaggy Parasols are large, eye-catching mushrooms that can be found in grassy, open areas as well as in forests (especially under Spruce). Field guides often list them as lookalikes for edible Shaggy Manes, but they’re not all that similar. Unlike Shaggy Manes, the caps of young Shaggy Parasols are round rather than egg-shaped, and they mature into a broad, umbrella shape that doesn’t dissolve into black goo (main photo).

While the Shaggy Parasols shown here are edible, it’s important to know that there is a similar but toxic species: Green-spored Parasol (Chlorophyllum molybdites). Green-spored Parasol has not been confirmed on the Island, but I still always check my Shaggy Parasols to be sure they are indeed the ones I want.

Shaggy Parasols caps have upturned brownish scales over a lighter background, and ragged-looking edges (main photo). Under the caps are closely-packed white gills, along with a ring on the upper part of the stem (bottom left photo).  Two key features that differentiate edible Shaggy Parasols from toxic Green-spored Parasols are whether the flesh changes colour and the colour of the spores.

If you cut or bruise an edible Shaggy Parasol, the flesh stains reddish-orange (bottom centre photo); Green-spored Parasols don’t usually change colour. Additionally, the edible species has white spores (bottom right photo), whereas those of the toxic-lookalike are (you guessed it!) green. There is a second, edible Shaggy Parasol species in our region – Chlorophyllum rhacodes – but it also has the colour-changing and white-spored traits. If your Shaggy Parasol does too, it’s one of the edible species.

Wild mushrooms should always be well-cooked before eating, and it’s useful to remember that not all foods agree with all people. If you’ve found some Shaggy Parasols, try a small amount first to be sure they sit well with you (and that you like them). If all goes well, dig in! I found these mushrooms had a lovely rich, nutty-mushroom flavour and nice texture. I’d put them in the top tier (joining King Boletes, Honey Mushrooms, and Candy Caps in my ranking).

Shaggy Parasols are decomposers, breaking down dead organic matter, recycling nutrients, and keeping us from being buried under piles of dead things. After a very dry summer, the fall rains have encouraged all sorts of fungi to fruit and it’s worth keeping an eye out for this beautiful and delicious part of PEI Untamed!