Species details
Bitter knight
Tricholoma acerbum
Inedible
Photo: Davide Puddu · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo source · License
Description
A large pale to ochre-brown Tricholoma with a long-inrolled, characteristically ribbed-wrinkled cap margin and bitter-astringent taste.
Identification features
The cap is large, pale ochre to brownish, fleshy and with a long-inrolled margin that becomes distinctly ribbed or wrinkled with age. Gills are white to cream. The stem is stout and pale.
Identification checklist
Check the large fleshy cap with a long-inrolled, distinctly ribbed mature margin and pale gills. Do not identify by colour alone.
Detailed features
- Cap
- The cap is large, pale ochre to brownish, fleshy and with a long-inrolled margin that becomes distinctly ribbed or wrinkled with age.
- Hymenophore
- Gills are white to cream.
- Stem
- The stem is stout and pale.
Habitat
Grows mainly in deciduous woodland, especially with beech and oak on calcareous soils, in autumn.
Fruiting period
September, October, November
Ecology
- Host trees
- Beech (Fagus), Oak (Quercus)
- Soil
- Calcareous
- Notes
- Grows mainly in deciduous woodland, especially with beech and oak on calcareous soils, in autumn.
How to separate similar species
Several pale and brownish Tricholoma can be similar, and some are poisonous. Combine cap margin, habitat and other characters.
Similar species
- Tricholoma roseoacerbum
- White knight (Tricholoma album)
- Burnt knight (Tricholoma ustale)