Species sheet · Drumsticks
Drum stick
Macrolepiota procera
The umbrella of the forest. Hat to parasol with brown scales on a light background and dark umbo in the center; tall stem, zebra-striped, with double sliding ring.
- Good edible (cooked, only the cap)
- Aug–Nov
Synonyms/dialect: greater bubbola, parasol, umbrella, doll
On the field
How to recognize it
- 01
When young, drumstick-shaped, then open even 25–30 cm: whitish background with raised brown scales and darker central umbo.
- 02
White, dense lamellae and free from the stem; white, tender flesh in the cap, which it doesn't turn (at most just pink).
- 03
Tall, hollow and fibrous stem, with a smooth surface snake-striped and a double ring that slips off and slides up and down.
How does it differ from other hoaxes?
Three things matter together: large size, zebra-striped stem, double sliding ringThe small lepiotes do not have them, and Chlorophyllum has a smooth stem, a margined bulb and flesh that turns orange-red to the cut.
The right forest
Where and when to look for it
Woods
Clearings, edges, meadows and pastures close to the forest; chestnut and oak groves, often out of the thicket.
Quota / exposure
From the plains to the mountains; it loves open, grassy, sunny areas.
When
Late summer–autumn (Aug–Nov), after the rains; often in rows or circles, in the same meadows every year.
Safety (applies to drumsticks — read more)
What can it be confused with?
The danger here is not a big mushroom but his little cousinsSome small lepiota mushrooms contain the same toxins as the deadly fly agaric. Rule of thumb: no small clubs, and always zebra-striped stem with flowing ring.
Small Lepiote
Lepiota brunneoincarnata and related speciesSame umbrella shape but small size (cap under 10 cm), stem without zebra stripes, simple ring and not smooth, often pinkish tones at the base. They contain amatoxins.
Bubbola from the bulb
Chlorophyllum brunneum / C. molybditesStem smooth, not zebra-striped, base with marginated bulb edged; meat that turns reddish-orange When cut, it grows on fertilized soil, compost, vegetable gardens, and gardens.
Reddish Bubbola
Chlorophyllum rachodesSmooth stem and flesh that reddens clearly cut. Edible for many, but it causes problems for those who are sensitive and must be cooked for a long time anyway: if you are looking for the procera, there must be zebra stripes.
The right mushrooms, eaten badly
We eat just the hat And always cookedThe stem is fibrous and woody, and raw the drumstick is indigestible. Discard old, spongy, or day-old caps, and don't bread any specimens you haven't checked individually.
MushScout
Why this card is alive in MushScout
MushScout doesn't tell you what mushroom you have in your hand: it keeps count of Where And When You've found it. When you log a find—or a failed outing—in your area, the app learns the rain-to-growth rhythm of that forest and tells you when to return, based on your data and not a regional average. Each species has its own predictions: they don't all grow in the same weather, and the app treats them like different mushrooms.
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Draft written by MushScout, undergoing mycological validationThis is to help you identify a mushroom, not to certify it. Before eating any mushroom, have it checked in person by a mycologist or by the mycological inspectorate of your local health authority. Health information: ISS and Poison Control Centers.