Species details

Bitter knight

Tricholoma acerbum

Inedible
Bitter knight – Tricholoma acerbum

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.

How to separate similar species

Several pale and brownish Tricholoma can be similar, and some are poisonous. Combine cap margin, habitat and other characters.

Habitat

Grows mainly in deciduous woodland, especially with beech and oak on calcareous soils, in autumn.

Fruiting period

September, October, November

Similar species

Extended-description sources