This species was first officially defined under the name Agaricus xanthodermus in 1876 by Léon Gaston Genevier, in a letter published in the bulletin of the French Botanical Society.
Apparently up until that time, these yellow-staining mushrooms were considered to be just varieties of other species which are edible: A. arvensis, A. edulis, and A. silvicola.
[7][8][9] In the latter name, -derma "skin" is a neuter noun which does not have to agree in gender with Agaricus, and so this form is legal according to the rules of botanical nomenclature.
The main identifying feature is an immediate bright yellow colouration on cutting through the base of the stem, or scraping the flesh; later, the affected area fades to a dull brown.
Numerous edible Agaricus species, such as A. augustus, A. arvensis and A. silvicola, turn yellow to a greater or lesser extent, but they do not display such an intense reaction.
Agaricus xanthodermus belongs to a group of related species (the "Xanthodermati") which likewise discolour bright yellow and have a phenolic smell.