# Yellow Stainer (*Agaricus*)

The Yellow Stainer is a mushroom that changes color when you touch it! It's a fun one to spot in the wild.

- **Category:** [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/fungi)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Snaps:** 2
- **Habitat:** In fields and meadows
- **Also known as:** Agaric, Yellow Mushroom

![Yellow Stainer](https://res.cloudinary.com/drieglelr/image/upload/v1771426875/objects/5134.jpg)

## Appearance

The Yellow Stainer is a medium-sized mushroom with a smooth, white cap that can turn slightly yellow with age. Its gills start pink and darken to a chocolate brown. A key identifying feature is its bright yellow stain when the cap or stem is bruised, especially at the base.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Fungi
- **Phylum:** Basidiomycota
- **Class:** Agaricomycetes
- **Order:** Agaricales
- **Family:** Agaricaceae
- **Genus:** Agaricus

## Interesting facts

- Despite its innocent look, it’s one of the most common causes of mushroom poisoning.
- If you try to cook this mushroom, its unpleasant chemical smell gets even stronger!
- It often grows in circles in lawns, sometimes called “fairy rings.”
- Its scientific name, Agaricus xanthodermus, means “yellow skin mushroom.”

## Special abilities

- **Bruise Reaction:** Yellow Stainer can change its color to bright yellow when touched, because it has special chemicals that react with air.
- **Warning Scent:** Yellow Stainer has a unique, unpleasant ink-like smell that helps warn animals it's not good to eat.
- **Spore Spreaders:** Yellow Stainer produces millions of dark brown spores that help it spread its babies far and wide to new places.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 6-12 cm
- **Edible:** poisonous
- **Size:** 5-15 cm
- **Growth Substrate:** soil
- **Season:** Summer, fall
- **Spore Color:** Dark brown

## Ecological connections

- **Depends on:** [English oak](https://www.snappit.app/explore/english-oak) (*Quercus robur*) — Feeds on decaying leaf litter around its roots in woodland areas.
- **Eaten by:** [Black slug](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-slug) (*Arion ater*) — Some slugs are sometimes seen munching on its cap.
- **Shelter:** Annual bluegrass (*Poa annua*) — Often grows in lawns near this common type of grass.

## Traits

- [Deciduous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/deciduous): Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons.
- [Spore Producing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spore-producing): Spore-producing organisms reproduce by releasing small, often single-celled, reproductive units called spores.
- [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals.
- [Decomposer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/decomposer): Describes organisms that break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.

## Collections

- [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/fungi)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Do not pick or eat anything you find. Some plants and mushrooms can be harmful.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Yellow Stainer?

Compare the cap shape, the underside, the stem and base, and whether the fungus grows on wood or soil. Some fungi have gills, others pores or teeth. A cap seen only from above often hides the most useful features. Mushroom Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Yellow Stainer?

6-12 cm

### Is Yellow Stainer edible?

poisonous

### How big is Yellow Stainer?

5-15 cm

### Where is Yellow Stainer usually found?

In fields and meadows

### What does Yellow Stainer grow on?

soil

### When is Yellow Stainer in season?

Summer, fall

### What color are Yellow Stainer spores?

Dark brown

## Where to spot

- [Santa Barbara Botanic Garden](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/santa-barbara-botanic-garden) — California, US · Botanical Garden

## More Fungi

- [Field Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/field-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Button Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/button-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Portobello Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/portobello-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Shiitake](https://www.snappit.app/explore/shiitake) (*Lentinula*)

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Source: [Yellow Stainer: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/yellow-stainer)