Parasol Mushroom

Where it grows

Parasols favour open ground with thin soil — old downs, road verges, woodland clearings, and unimproved pasture. They fruit from midsummer through autumn, often standing dramatically tall in mown grass.

How to recognise it

At maturity the cap opens like its name to thirty centimetres across — pale buff with concentric darker scales and a brown central boss. The stem is exceptionally long and slender, banded brown and cream in a pattern like snake skin, and bears a substantial double-edged ring that slides freely. The flesh is white and does not change colour when cut.

Edibility & cautions

A choice edible. Beware the shaggy parasol (Chlorophyllum brunneum / rhacodes), whose flesh reddens when cut — this causes stomach upset in many people. The toxic Chlorophyllum molybdites has greenish gills in maturity and is responsible for many poisonings in warmer regions.

Culinary use

Bread the whole cap and shallow-fry like a schnitzel; the stems are too fibrous and are best discarded or used in stock.