The cap is light reddish @-@ brown , with a diameter typically ranging from 1 to 4 @.@ 5 cm ( 0 @.@ 4 to 1 @.@ 8 in ) . Initially conic to bell @-@ shaped to convex , it flattens during maturity , developing visible surface grooves corresponding to the gills underneath the cap . The margin of the cap has minute but distinct scallops . The surface is moist and smooth , and hygrophanous . The cap frequently develops splits in the margin , or cracks in the disc ( the central part of the cap ) . The flesh of the cap is thick in the center but thin elsewhere , grayish to whitish , fragile , and with a slightly mealy odor and taste . The gills have a decurrent attachment to the stem ( that is , running down the length of the stem ) and are a pale brownish color with tinges of red . They are broad ( between 3 and 6 mm ) , and have a close to subdistant spacing , with about 26 – 35 gills reaching the stem . The fragile stem is 3 to 9 cm ( 1 @.@ 2 to 3 @.@ 5 in ) long by 0 @.@ 15 to 0 @.@ 4 cm ( 0 @.@ 06 to 0 @.@ 16 in ) thick and yellow to yellow @-@ brown , becoming reddish @-@ brown to orange @-@ brown in the bottom half in maturity . The lower portion of young stems is covered with white flecks . Roughly equal in thickness at the top and bottom , the base of the stem is covered by a yellowish mycelium that can be up to a third of the length of the stem . The edibility of the mushroom is " doubtful " and consumption " best avoided " .