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    Tricholoma frondosae

    Tricholoma frondosae Kalamees & Shchukin · Tricholomataceae

    ☠ Poisonous

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    Identification in 5 steps

    Tricholoma frondosae
    Photo: Eugene Popov · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

    Tricholoma frondosae is a yellow-green knight with concentric scales under aspens and poplars. It belongs to the man on horseback complex and is poisonous, because repeated consumption can cause severe muscle damage.

    SeasonAugust to November
    Spore printwhite
    FamilyTricholomataceae
    1. Cap. The cap is 5 to 10 cm wide, yellow-green to olive-yellow, often brownish in the centre and with yellowish-brown, concentric scales.
    2. Underside. The gills are sulphur to lemon-yellow, crowded and notched at the stem.
    3. Stem, ring and volva. The stem is more slender than in the man on horseback of pine woods, straw to sulphur-yellow, smooth to slightly fibrous. There is no ring and no volva.
    4. Smell and taste. It smells mealy. Never taste it.
    5. Flesh and colour change. The flesh is whitish to pale yellow and hardly changes colour.

    Lookalikes

    A yellowish, scaly man on horseback under aspens and poplars, close to the pine form. It is considered poisonous like Tricholoma equestre and must not be eaten.

    Charbonnier Tricholoma portentosum

    edible with restrictions

    Tricholoma portentosum has a grey cap with radial fibres and smells strongly mealy. Culinary value disputed.

    Tricholoma populinum

    edible

    Tricholoma populinum is grey to brownish, not yellow-green scaly; it is mostly listed as edible in the literature. Use only mushrooms identified with certainty.

    Side by side

    Tricholoma frondosaeDeath capMan on horsebackCharbonnierTricholoma populinum
    Capyellow-green, scaly, 5 to 10 cmolive-green to yellow-greenyellow-green, often smooth, 5 to 12 cmgrey, radially fibrousgrey to brownish, less yellow
    Undersidesulphur-yellow gillswhite gillssulphur-yellow gillswhitish gillswhitish gills
    Stemslender, straw to sulphur-yellowwith a ring and volvashort, sturdy, yellowgrey-whitegrey-white, central
    Fleshfleshy, mealy smellfleshyfleshymealyfirm
    EdibilityPoisonousdeadly poisonouspoisonousedible with restrictionsedible

    Habitat & Season

    Humus-rich, nutrient-rich to chalky soils in floodplain and mixed woods. Lowlands up to low mountain ranges.

    Host trees

    Aspen, poplars and other deciduous trees, occasionally spruce too.

    Season

    possible good main season

    Late summer and autumn in woods rich in deciduous trees.

    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 substance that damages muscle cells, as in the man on horseback.
    SyndromeEquestre syndrome (rhabdomyolysis).
    SymptomsMuscle weakness and muscle pain, dark urine, nausea; severe cases with kidney and heart problems have been described.
    OnsetOften only 24 to 72 hours after repeated consumption.
    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

    Is Tricholoma frondosae edible?

    No. Tricholoma frondosae is considered poisonous like the man on horseback under pine. Do not collect it for eating.

    How does it differ from the man on horseback?

    It grows under aspens and poplars, is more slender and bears conspicuous yellowish-brown cap scales. The man on horseback mostly grows under pine on sand.

    Is it the same as Tricholoma populinum?

    No. Tricholoma populinum is grey to brownish and a different species. Tricholoma frondosae is yellow-green and poisonous.

    What should I do if it has been eaten?

    Call the emergency number and the poison centre immediately, even if there are no symptoms yet.

    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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