Man on horseback
Tricholoma equestre · Knights (Tricholoma)
Poisonous
Poisonous. Several meals on consecutive days can destroy muscle tissue; deaths are known.
Recognise it safely – what matters
- Yellow gills and yellow stem
- Pine forest on sand
- Long regarded as edible – that is outdated
Features
- Cap
- 5–12 cm, yellow to greenish yellow, brownish centre, often sandy.
- Underside
- Gills: bright sulphur yellow.
- Stem
- Yellow, short.
- Flesh
- Whitish to yellowish
- Smell
- Mealy
- Spore print
- White
Season
JFMAMJJASOND
Habitat
Pine forests on sandy soils, often half buried in sand.
Pine
If someone has eaten it
Muscle pain and weakness, dark urine, heart problems. First symptoms: 1–3 days after repeated meals.
Act immediately – even without symptoms:
- Emergency number 112 if someone feels unwell.
- Poison centre: Germany – area code of the nearest city with a poison centre + 19240 (e.g. Berlin 030 19240, Munich 089 19240) · Austria +43 1 406 43 43 · Switzerland 145.
- Keep leftovers, trimmings or vomit – it helps with identification.
Never identify mushrooms by pictures or an app alone. When in doubt, ask a mushroom expert – and only pick what you know for sure.