Agaricus

The genus Agaricus is part of the order Agaricales, which encompasses a vast diversity of fungi within the class Agaricomycetes. This order includes approximately 30 families, 350 genera, and around 10,000 species. Traditionally, these fungi were identified by the presence of gills and mushroom-shaped fruiting bodies. However, modern classification, based on genetic relationships, recognizes that not all Agaricales possess gills or distinct mushroom shapes. The genus Agaricus itself contains over 200 species, including the common meadow mushroom (A. campestris) and the widely cultivated white button mushroom (A. bisporus). Some fungi within the Agaricales order, such as those in the genus Amanita, are highly poisonous and include deadly species like the death cap.1