Livid pinkgill: poisonous

Identification in 5 steps

The livid pinkgill is a large, yellowish gilled mushroom with a pink spore print. It is poisonous and can cause severe gastrointestinal poisoning.

SeasonAugust to October

Spore printpink

FamilyEntolomataceae

Cap. The cap is 8 to 20 cm wide, yellowish to olive yellow, often irregular.
Underside. The gills are yellowish, notched and turn pink.
Stem, ring and volva. The stem is sturdy and yellowish, with no ring and no volva.
Smell and taste. The smell is unpleasant to mealy. Never taste it.
Flesh and colour change. The flesh is yellowish and does not change colour.

Lookalikes

A large yellowish mushroom with a pink spore print; dangerous confusion with St. George's mushroom and the trooping funnel.

St. George's mushroom Calocybe gambosa

edible

White spore print, mealy smell, edible.

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Trooping funnel Infundibulicybe geotropa

edible

Funnel-shaped with a bump, whitish spore print, edible.

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The miller Clitopilus prunulus

edible

Smaller, whitish cap; the gills run down the stem, spore print pink, strong mealy smell. Edible, but only if identified with certainty.

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Side by side

	Livid pinkgill	St. George's mushroom	Trooping funnel	The miller
Cap	yellowish, 8 to 20 cm	whitish, 5 to 12 cm	cream, funnel-shaped	whitish, small
Underside	yellowish gills, pink spores	whitish gills	whitish gills	decurrent gills, pink print
Stem	yellowish, no ring	whitish	club-shaped base	short, often lateral
Flesh	firm	firm, smell of meal	firm, pleasant smell	soft, strong smell of meal
Edibility	Poisonous	edible	edible	edible

Habitat & Season

Lime-rich forest soils. Lowlands to low mountain ranges.

Host trees

Deciduous trees, especially beech and oak.

Season

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

possible good main season

Late summer in deciduous woods.

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.

All mushroom regions →

Safety

Never eat a mushroom you have not identified with certainty. Poisonous mushroom: do not eat it. If you suspect someone has eaten it, call the emergency number and the poison centre immediately.

Advice for your country

United Kingdom

Poison centre:

NHS 111 (England)111

Emergency: 999 · 112

Ireland

Poison centre:

National Poisons Information Centre (public line)(01) 809 2166

Emergency: 112 · 999

Germany

Poison centre:

Giftnotruf Berlin030 19240Giftinformationszentrum München089 19240GIZ-Nord Göttingen0551 19240

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

Not specially protected.

Salzburg: Collecting poisonous mushrooms is banned, except single specimens for identification.

Poisoning

ToxinUnknown toxins with a strong gastrointestinal effect.

SyndromeGastrointestinal syndrome.

SymptomsNausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhoea, sometimes dizziness.

OnsetUsually within a few hours of the meal.

What to do now: This is an emergency, even if there are no symptoms yet. Go to a hospital immediately or call 999 / 112 and the poison centre (NHS 111, England). Do not wait to see whether symptoms appear, and do not be misled by an apparent improvement. Do not induce vomiting. Keep leftover mushrooms, cleaning scraps and vomit, and tell everyone who shared the meal.

Frequently asked questions

Why is a pink spore print important?

The livid pinkgill has a pink print; St. George's mushroom and the trooping funnel have a white print.

Is the livid pinkgill deadly?

It is poisonous with severe gastrointestinal symptoms; fatal cases are rare, but possible with large amounts.

What should I do if I have eaten it?

Call the emergency number and the poison centre immediately.

Related species

Sulphur tuft Hypholoma fasciculare
Fly agaric Amanita muscaria
Devil's bolete Rubroboletus satanas
Yellow-stainer Agaricus xanthodermus
The sickener Russula emetica
Spotted tricholoma Tricholoma pardinum

Open the mushroom map Mushroom trainer: test yourself

Sources

Photo credits

Photo: Bernhard Krause · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
St. George's mushroom: Photo: User:Strobilomyces · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Trooping funnel: Photo: Albarubescens · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
The miller: Photo: Ron Pastorino (Ronpast), Mushroom Observer · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

No substitute for having your finds checked in person. No guarantee of accuracy. Updated: 17.10.2026.