Grey Knight
Poisonous 
Autumn 
Summer 
A common member of the Knight family, this was once considered to be an edible mushroom but it has now been discovered that eating a certain weight of these mushrooms, even spread out over a fortnight, can cause kidney failure and is now deemed deadly poisonous.
| Mushroom Type | |
| Common Names | Grey Knight (EN), Marchog Llwyd (CY), Gąska Ziemistoblaszkowa (PL), Fenyő-Pereszke (HU) |
| Scientific Name | Tricholoma terreum |
| Synonyms | Tricholoma myomyces, Tricholoma gausapatum |
| Season Start | Aug |
| Season End | Oct |
| Average Mushroom height (CM) | 6 |
| Average Cap width (CM) | 6 |
Cap
Grey/white with small ‘woolly’ fibres radiating from the centre of the cap. Starts conical but will flatten out retaining an umbo.
Gills
White to pale grey, crowded and appear free from the stem but are narrowly joined and sinuate (notched near the stem).
Stem
Smooth and white.
Flesh
White and usually hollow in the stem.
Habitat
Mainly with Scotch Pines but can grow with other coniferous trees.
Possible Confusion
Other grey capped Tricholomas.
Spore Print
White. Ellipsoid.
Frequency
Common and gregarious.
Other Facts
This mushroom was once listed as edible but chemicals that can harm the kidneys have been found so it is now considered a deadly poisonous fungi.
7 comments for Grey Knight
Is it really true that its poisonus as this article says?
Cause in norway they say its a good edible, and not dangerous. They dont mention poison at all
Chinese scientists have found toxins that cause irreparable damage to the kidneys as well as the fact that there are several look-a-like Tricholomas that you should not be consumed.
I am absolutely gutted as initially I thought it was edible too and i was sooo excited as I found a HUGE patch .. .ahhaha ah well .. shame shame ! regardless thank you wild food UK for saving my kidneys ! <3
I have a largish area of my garden covered in loose bark, yesterday several areas of white stemmed grey fungi appeared, I don’t intend to eat or touch them, however I would like to get rid of them. Can you please advise me the best thing to do.
I’m not sure how to get rid of them apart from physically removing them. They shouldn’t come back until next year, some mushrooms brought in on bark can only survive a season or two so you might not see them again. There are fungicides out there but they tend to affect the growth of nearby plants and fungi as well. If they are poisonous, they will not harm you in any way by just touching them.
Some more research on the subject here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11052463/
An interesting article, thank you.