Agaricus

views updated

Agaricus (family Agaricaceae) A genus of fungi which includes the cultivated mushroom. A. brunnescens (formerly A. bisporus), as well as several edible wild species; there are also some poisonous species. The gills are typically pinkish when young, becoming dark brown to black as they mature. They are found on the ground in fields, woods, etc., and are cosmopolitan in distribution. See also FIELD MUSHROOM; HORSE MUSHROOM; and WOOD MUSHROOM.

More From encyclopedia.com