Brown roll-rim Paxillus involutus
poisonousIt has true, forked gills that can be separated from the cap, not tubes. The most reliable feature is the gills. Poisonous, especially when eaten repeatedly.
Identification in 5 steps
The alder bolete is a yellowish to ochre-brownish bolete with a felty cap and a short, curved stem that grows only near alders. It is edible, but has little culinary value and is specially protected.
SeasonAugust to October
Spore printochre brown
FamilyPaxillaceae
- Cap. The cap is 3 to 12 cm wide, yellowish to ochre-brownish, finely felty and matt, mostly dry, slightly slimy in high humidity. It often has small, dimple-like depressions. The margin is distinctly rolled in when young.
- Underside. The underside bears a very thin, golden-yellowish layer of tubes that runs a good way down the stem and turns olive with age. Pressure marks turn first blue, then brown. The tubes are stepped, not the same length everywhere.
- Stem, ring and volva. The stem is coloured like the cap, mostly short and curved, tapered at the base and fibrous lengthways. It browns at pressure marks. There is no ring and no volva.
- Smell and taste. The smell is insignificant, the taste sometimes sourish and astringent.
- Flesh and colour change. The flesh is pale yellowish in the cap, brownish towards the stem. After cutting it changes from bluish to brownish.
Lookalikes
It grows near alders and has tubes instead of gills, which run down the stem and turn blue under pressure. The poisonous brown roll-rim, by contrast, has true gills. The alder bolete has little culinary value.
Bovine bolete Suillus bovinus
edible
It grows near pines, has a slimy cap skin and wide pores. The alder bolete grows near alders, has a dry, felty cap and narrow, barely visible pores. Also edible.
View on the mapSide by side
| Alder bolete | Brown roll-rim | Bovine bolete | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cap | yellowish to ochre-brownish, 3 to 12 cm, finely felty, dry | yellow-brown to olive brown, margin rolled in for a long time | yellow-brown, slimy |
| Underside | golden-yellow decurrent tubes, turn blue under pressure | decurrent, forked gills, can be detached | large, wide pores, decurrent |
| Stem | short, curved, cap-coloured | short, brown, sensitive to pressure | short, yellowish |
| Flesh | soft, flesh turns blue | soft, moist | soft |
| Edibility | Edible | poisonous | edible |
Habitat & Season
Damp, marshy sites where alders grow. No reliable information.
Host trees
Alder, with which it forms mycorrhiza.
Season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
possible good main season
Sometimes in large numbers.
Mushroom regions with a daily forecast
There are no records per region for this species yet. The country pages lead to all regions with a daily forecast.
Chance near you
How good are the chances of finding this species where you are right now? We calculate it from weather, soil moisture, altitude and forest at your location.
Safety
Never eat a mushroom you have not identified with certainty. Only eat mushrooms you have identified beyond doubt, and always cook them thoroughly.
Advice for your country
Ireland
Poison centre:
National Poisons Information Centre (public line)(01) 809 2166
Emergency: 112 · 999
Germany
Poison centre:
Emergency: 112
Mushroom advice: DGfM: find a mushroom expert. Certified mushroom experts of the German Mycological Society (DGfM).
Collecting rules: Mushrooms that are not specially protected may be collected in small quantities for personal use unless a protected area or ban applies. Certain specially protected edible species (e.g. cep, chanterelle, birch bolete) may be collected in small quantities for personal use.
Austria
Poison centre:
Vergiftungsinformationszentrale (VIZ)01 406 43 43
Emergency: 112 · 144
Mushroom advice: Austrian Mycological Society (ÖMG): mushroom advice. Mushroom advice by the Austrian Mycological Society or regional services such as municipal market offices.
Collecting rules: At most 2 kg of mushrooms per person per day unless the forest owner has prohibited collecting; organised collecting events are prohibited. Additional state rules apply (collecting hours, closed seasons), e.g. Carinthia, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Salzburg.
Conservation and collecting rules
Specially protected under the German Federal Species Protection Ordinance (Bundesartenschutzverordnung), according to Wikipedia. Leave it standing.
In the kitchen
The culinary value is low. If at all, use only young, firm mushrooms and cook them well. Cook for at least 15 minutes.
No reliable information on drying. Low culinary value. Specially protected, not meant for collecting.
- Never eat wild mushrooms raw, and always cook them for at least 15 minutes.
- Use only young, fresh, maggot-free mushrooms that you have identified with certainty.
- Carry mushrooms in an airy basket, not in plastic bags, and process them on the same day.
Frequently asked questions
Is the alder bolete edible?
It is edible, but has little culinary value. It is also specially protected under the German Federal Species Protection Ordinance (Bundesartenschutzverordnung), so it is better left standing.
How do you recognise the alder bolete?
By the yellowish to ochre-brownish, felty cap, the tubes running down the stem and turning blue under pressure, and its growth near alders.
What can the alder bolete be mistaken for?
For the poisonous brown roll-rim, which has true gills, and for the bovine bolete, which grows near pines and has a slimy cap.
When does the alder bolete grow?
From August to October, sometimes in large numbers, at damp sites near alders.
Related species
- Cep Boletus edulis
- Golden chanterelle Cantharellus cibarius
- Parasol mushroom Macrolepiota procera
- Bay bolete Imleria badia
- Field mushroom Agaricus campestris
- Lawyers' wig Coprinus comatus
Sources
- Wikipedia: Erlen-Grübling
- GBIF: Gyrodon lividus (Bull.) Sacc.
- Index Fungorum: Namensabfrage Gyrodon lividus
Photo credits
- Photo: Holger Krisp · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Bovine bolete: Photo: Achim Lammerts (Syntaxys) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
No substitute for having your finds checked in person. No guarantee of accuracy. Updated: 17.10.2026.