“The Fungus Is Among Us”

After a three-day-rain storm to hit southern California, I found an adult (approximately 5 inches tall) specimen of a bulbous fungus in the grass in my front-yard. I determined that it belongs to genus Chlorophyllum, but to my untrained eye, determining the exact species was not all that easy. This was my first attempt ever to identify a fungus. Right away, I found that the shape of the caps of various fungi can be similar, thus making an identification difficult for a novice. 

Eventually, I decided that this large fungus is Chlorophyllum molybidtes. It is poisonous, especially if humans and dogs eat them.

Classification

Phylum-Club fungi

Class Mushroom-forming fungi

Order Gilled fungi

Family Agaricaceae

Genus Chlorophyllum

Species C. molybdites 

Genus Chlorophyllum is widespread in the world today in temperate and subtropical climates, for example, North America, Central America, South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia (Wikipedia, 2025). Chlorophyllum molybides is up to 12 inches in height. It has brown scales on the top of its cap and its gills (on the underside of its cap) are white, when the fungus it is young. Chlorophyllum molybides likes grassy areas ( Wernet and others, 1982, p. 537).

The geologic time record of fungi goes back to around 1.5 billion years ago, with the “higher fungi” evolving about 570 million years ago (Wikipedia, 2025). These occurrences are based on preserved fungal spores.

Figure 1. Frontal view of a cap (top) of Chlorophyllum molybdites that was living in my front yard. The ruler is in centimeters.

Figure 2. Basal view of the cap shown in Figure 1. The ruler is in centimeters.

References Consulted:

Hodgson, E. and five others. 2025. A global dataset of fossil fungi records from the Cenozoic. A downloadable pdf available for free, via nature.com------at  the following:

12:316 / https:doi.org/10.1038/s41497-025-045333-4

Wernert, S.J. and others. 1982. North American Wildlife. Reader’s Digest. Pleassntville, New York. 615 pp.

Wikipedia. 2025.