Scaly Knight

Tricholoma vaccinum

Coniferous forests, calcareous soil. Summer, autumn.

Fruiting bodies medium-sized, large. Cap 3-10 cm across, rarely larger, flattened, with an umbo; its ochre surface is reddish-brown fibrous and scaly, the margins paler, densely hairy, bearded. Gills crowded, yellowish, cream, adnate. Stem 4-10x0.3-2 cm, of uniform thickness, firm, fibrous, finely scaly, the colour of the cap or paler. Flesh whitish, brownish, with an unpleasant smell and taste. Characteristic features: fruiting bodies reddish-brown, shaggy. Grows singly or in small groups in coniferous forests, especially spruce stands. Edible when well boiled, of low value.