Portal:Fungi/Selected species/61

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Tricholoma pardinum, commonly known as spotted tricholoma, tiger tricholoma, tigertop or dirty trich, is a gilled mushroom widely distributed across North America and Europe, as well as parts of Asia. It is generally found in beech woodland in summer and autumn. It is an imposing mushroom with a pale grey cap up to 10 cm (4 in) in diameter with darker brownish or greyish scales, white gills and white or pale grey-brown ringless stalk. It is one of the more poisonous members of the genus Tricholoma and has been implicated in a number of episodes of mushroom poisoning, probably because it is a large, attractive mushroom with a superficial resemblance to a number of edible species as well as having a pleasant smell and taste. Ingesting T. pardinum even in small quantities causes a severe, persistent gastroenteritis due to the presence of an as yet unknown mycotoxin.