About this fungus
Soapy Knight is a fungus in the Tricholomataceae family. Its habitat and field characteristics are summarised below.
A sturdy, highly variable woodland knight with a grey, olive or brown cap, pale notched gills and a distinctive soap-like odour.
What to check
Check for a soap-like smell from freshly cut flesh, pale attached to notched gills, and reddish or orange staining in the cut stem base. There is no ring or volva. Odour can be weak, so it should support the full character combination rather than decide the identification alone.
Variation
The cap ranges through grey, green-grey, olive and brown, sometimes with a paler margin. Tricholoma saponaceum is a species complex in some regional treatments, and colour forms cannot always be separated confidently in the field.
Lookalikes
Other grey or olive Tricholoma species overlap in cap shape and woodland habitat. Tricholoma terreum is usually more finely fibrous and lacks the soap odour and red stem-base reaction. Regional keys or microscopy may be needed for unusual collections.
Habitat and range
Mycorrhizal with broadleaf and conifer trees across northern temperate woodland, often fruiting in groups from late summer into autumn.
Food safety
Inedible.
Photographs
Jerzy Opioła / CC BY-SA 3.0