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    Soap-scented toadstool

    Tricholoma saponaceum (Fr.) P.Kumm. · Tricholomataceae

    Also: Soapy tricholoma, Soapy knight, Soap tricholoma

    ☠ Poisonous

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    Identification in 5 steps

    Soap-scented toadstool
    Photo: Drew Parker (Mushroom Observer) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

    The soap-scented toadstool is a very variable knight with a greenish grey to brownish cap. It smells of soap and turns red at the stem base. It is poisonous.

    SeasonAugust to November
    Spore printwhite
    FamilyTricholomataceae
    1. Cap. The cap is 4 to 10 cm wide and very variable: grey-green, olive-brown to grey.
    2. Underside. The gills are widely spaced, whitish to greenish, and often turn red.
    3. Stem, ring and volva. The stem is whitish and turns reddish at the base. There is no ring and no volva.
    4. Smell and taste. It smells of soap.
    5. Flesh and colour change. The flesh is white and turns red in the stem base.

    Lookalikes

    Contains cytotoxic saponaceolides and causes vomiting and diarrhoea.

    Habitat & Season

    Various soils. From lowland to mountain regions.

    Host trees

    Broadleaved and coniferous trees.

    Season

    possible good main season

    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.

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    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 poison emergency number 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 prohibited.

    Red List Germany: Data deficient

    Poisoning

    ToxinSaponaceolides (cytotoxic terpenoids), and when raw also haemolysins.
    SyndromeGastrointestinal syndrome.
    SymptomsVomiting and diarrhoea.
    OnsetA few hours.
    What to do now: Call the poison centre immediately (NHS 111, England) and, in case of severe symptoms, the emergency number 999 / 112. Do not induce vomiting and do not give milk or salt water. Keep leftover mushrooms, trimmings and vomit for identification, and tell everyone who ate with you, because they should also be examined.

    Frequently asked questions

    Soap-scented toadstool: is it edible?

    No, it is poisonous. Contains cytotoxic saponaceolides and causes vomiting and diarrhoea. If you suspect poisoning, call the poison centre immediately (numbers for your country below).

    Soap-scented toadstool: when and where does it grow?

    The season in central Europe runs from August to November. Tree partner and habitat: Broadleaved and coniferous trees. Soil: Various soils. Altitude: From lowland to mountain regions.

    Soap-scented toadstool: what are the lookalikes?

    The most important distinction is from Man on horseback (Tricholoma equestre, poisonous): It has sulphur-yellow gills. Other lookalikes: grey knight.

    Related species

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    Sources

    Photo credits

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

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