Learn something new every day More Info... by email An agaric is
a type of mushroom which belongs to the genus Agaricus. This
mushroom genus has more than three hundred members, some of
which are edible, and some of which are poisonous. Many of the
most common cultivated edible mushrooms are members of the
Agaricus genus. All agaric mushrooms share several
characteristics in common. One of these is the presence of a
pileus, or cap, which tops the mushroom in a similar fashion to
the canopy of an umbrella. On the underside of the pileus are
fine, feathery gills which extend from the center of the pileus
to the outer edge. Two other characteristics of mushrooms in the
Agaricus genus are the presence of a stem, and of a veil-like
structure which protects the underside of the pileus as the
fungus develops. The best known of the edible Agaric mushrooms
is Agaricus bisporus, which is known under many different names,
and is cultivated in some seventy countries worldwide. Young
mushrooms of this variety are typicall