Brown Rollrim
Poisonous 
Autumn 
Summer 
This common and deadly poisonous mushroom is thankfully easy to identify.
| Mushroom Type | |
| Common Names | Brown Rollrim (EN), Common Rollrim, Poison Pax (US), Cantel Mewndro Brown (CY), Krowiak Podwinięty (PL), Begöngyöltszélű Cölöpgomba (HU) |
| Scientific Name | Paxillus involutus |
| Season Start | Aug |
| Season End | Nov |
| Average Mushroom height (CM) | 8 |
| Average Cap width (CM) | 20 |
Cap
Flattened with a slight depression towards the middle with the edges always rolling under to the gills. Rusty brown with a slimy cap when wet.
Gills
Gills very pale yellow/brown bruising darker. Crowded and running down the stem.
Stem
Pale brown, smooth and darkening on bruising.
Flesh
Pale brown yellow darkening on cutting.
Habitat
Broad leaved woodland, particularly birch and on heathland and grassland including lawns.
Possible Confusion
A distinctive mushroom with some variability. After recent DNA studies mycologists have now divided this mushroom in a group of species, but beside looking quite similar for foraging purposes all Rollrim species (Paxillus sp.) should be treated as poisonous.
The Velvet Rollrim (Tapinella atrotomentosa) is similar but grows on wood and it’s also not considered safe for consumption.
At a first glance it could sometimes resemble one of the Milkcaps (Lactarius sp.) but unlike those it doesn’t exude any milk from the gills.
Spore Print
Burnt brown. Ellipsoid.
Taste / Smell
Do not taste any part of this mushroom.
Frequency
Very common.
Other Facts
This mushroom contains a toxin that can be neutralised by lengthy boiling and discarding the water several times but this does not remove other toxins that can build up in the body over time and eventually lead to a rather nasty death. It is eaten in certain parts of Eastern Europe but still leads to deaths every year there. Definitely a mushroom to avoid.
Despite having gills this mushroom is closer related to Boletes (mushrooms with pores) than other gilled mushrooms.
15 comments for Brown Rollrim
Brown Roll Rim
While cutting the grass I discovered lots of these under the birch tree. I’ve removed all I spotted. We have two dogs and one of them has been very interested in this area. I know it’s deadly to humans but can’t see anything on dogs. Worried he may have eaten some before I spotted them!
Many thanks
If these are accidentally ingested what should you do ?
If anybody ingests what they think are poisonous mushrooms then medical help should be sought immediately, the symptoms of some poisonous mushrooms do not become apparent for several days, allowing the poison to really get to work doing sometimes irreparable damage.
Would cross contamination be an issue with these mushrooms?
I used the same knife I cut a brown roll rim in half with to prepare some COTW.
The COTW was washed and cooked thoroughly afterwards.
Just to ease my thoughts more than anything or weather I should seek some medical advice.
Thank you
You will not be poisoned by using the same knife, you need to ingest some of the mushroom. That said, try to keep your knife clean if cutting poisonous and edible mushrooms.
Hello! I’m also a bit worried about cross contamination. I gathered 3 small brown roll rims in a bag (not knowing they were deadly poisonous) and then piled a load of ceps on top and they were in the same bag for a little while. Should I worry?
It is best not to mix poisonous and edible mushrooms but they shouldn’t contaminate each other.
I too have found a clutch of these growing under my Fir Trees. how do I dispose of them and prevent further growth?
It is difficult to kill off mushrooms without damaging nearby plants and the environment. If you have children you are worried about, education is better than removing the mushrooms, if you are still worried, pull the mushrooms up and dispose of them.
We have a cluster of these in our garden, how do we safely dispose please?
I’m not sure how to get rid of them permanently, fungicides can damage the ecosystem of your garden. Place them in a bag and put them in your landfill bin to dispose of them.
Do these crack on the cap? I have a nutty fungi, very like this, however it doesn’t bruise, and spores are sienna, it is not sour, but tastes of hazelnuts. I am struggling as I think I have a rhodocybe, but it seems its gills are a little too decurrent, and its spore is the wrong colour!!@ confused. Any help?
Please do not taste any part of a foraged mushroom that you have not positively identified (or where even look-alikes won’t be highly toxic)
Unfortunately I can’t help you with identifying your mushroom, but implore you to stay safe on your foraging adventures!
There’s no particular reason to remove fungi from gardens — no more than to remove, say, fox gloves. Our gardens are full of plants that it would be v unwise (and possibly fatal) to eat, but if you don’t eat them they are completely harmless. And I would not worry about dogs eating them, either. In my experience, as far as fungi are concerned dogs know what they are doing!
I have a dozen or more fine specimens of the Brown Roll-rim growing within 10 metres of an elderly (60+ years) birch tree.
These appeared in Sep-Nov 2022 in a Cambridgeshire garden, after the Autumn rains had neutralised the effects of the Summer drought.
My interest in these is: does their arrival indicate that the roots of the birch tree are compromised in some way, and could this mark the start of the tree’s end of life ?