The
cap is broad, and becomes deeply convex to flattened. The surface is dry, with a uniformly dark-brown disc. The disc can be either flattened or depressed, and is appressed fibrillose-squamulose. Towards the margin, it begins to diffuse. It is brown over a pallid ground color. Meanwhile, the margin is incurved in youth, then decurved, and eventually turns straight or slightly raised. The
cap cuticle bruises slowly
tawny-brown, and yellows in
KOH. The
flesh is white, soft, and can be up to thick. When injured, it can change to a cream color to tawny. The odor is that of
anise, with a mild taste. The
gills are free, close, and relatively broad. When young, they have a whitish color, though they turn blackish-brownat maturity. The gills can be either five or six-seried. The
stipe can be long, and thick. Often tapered to a bulbous base, it can be stuffed to hollow at
maturity. The surface of apex is white, and silky-striate. The lower portion is white, with the fibrils forming scattered appressed squamules. In contrast, the base of the stipe discolors slowly a dull orange-brown where handled. The flesh changes sporadically from a cream-yellow to tawny-brown when injured or cut. The
partial veil is white, membranous, and has small brown floccose scales concentrated near the margin. The
annulus is thin and pendulous on the stipe. The
spores are 6.5–8.0
μm by 4.5–5.0 μm, smooth, thick-walled, and
ellipsoid. They are inequilateral in profile, without a conspicuous
hilar appendage. Their
germ pore is not evident, and the
spore print is a blackish-brown color.
Similar species The related
A. augustus (the prince) is widely distributed in North America; by contrast,
A. perobscurus has a darker-brown cap, a patchy fibrillose
stipe surface at youth, and a different fruiting season. The toxic
A. praeclaresquamosus can be differentiated by its dark-grey cap, a phenolic (rather than aniselike) odor, and a stipe base which yellows immediately when injured. ==Habitat and distribution==