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Pavement Mushroom
(19 votes, average: 4.05 out of 5)
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Pavement Mushroom
This fungi can grow through dry, compacted soil or even asphalt and seems to prefer growing beside paths and roads hence its common name.
| Mushroom Type | |
| Common Names | Pavement Mushroom (EN), Madarch Palmentydd (CY), Pieczarka Miejska (PL), Ízletes Csiperke (HU) |
| Scientific Name | Agaricus bitorquis |
| Season Start | May |
| Season End | Oct |
| Average Mushroom height (CM) | 6-10 |
| Average Cap width (CM) | 8-12 |
Please note that each and every mushroom you come across may vary in appearance to these photos.
Cap
8-12 cm. White and convex opening out to flat in mature specimens. The cap is often covered in mud and dust.
Gills
Crowded, not joined to the stem. Gills off white/grey at first soon turning pink to dark brown.
Stem
6-10cm long, 1.5-2 cm diameter. Robust, white and often tapering at the base.
Skirt
Has an inferior, double edged skirt, obvious in this picture, not always so on other Pavement Mushrooms.
Flesh
Meaty white flesh turning slightly pink on cutting.
Habitat
Roadsides, path edges, under trees, bare soil, gardens or manure.
Possible Confusion
The Yellow Stainer (Agaricus xanthodermus), but this mushroom stains chrome yellow when bruised or cut and smells of Indian ink, hospitals or iodine and not edible. Can look similar to some of the Amanitas when young and white gilled.
Spore Print
Brown. Subglobose.
Taste / Smell
Strong and mushroomy. Should be cooked before consumption.
Frequency
Occasional but widespread on the British Isles.
Other Facts
This seems to be the favourite mushroom of choice for maggots and even mushrooms that have just broken the surface are usually riddled with them. They are great tasting if you can find them maggot free or don’t mind the extra protein!
In March 2025 the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) added 1000 fungal species to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The IUCN (Global) Conservation Status of Pavement Mushroom (Agaricus bitorquis) is: LC – Least Concern, with stable population. For more information, see on the following link
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