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Brown roll-rim (Paxillus involutus), whole fruiting body
Petar Milošević · CC BY-SA 4.0
Deadly poisonous

Brown roll-rim

Paxillus involutus · Paxillaceae

The brown roll-rim has a brown cap with an inrolled margin and yellowish decurrent gills that turn brown when touched.

Last updated: Prepared by the Poros Mantar editorial team6 sources checkedReport a correction

FamilyPaxillaceae
SeasonJun–Nov
Spore printBrown
Cap width5–12 cm
Stem length4–8 cm
Records in Turkey7 records
CultivationWild only
StatusDeadly poisonous

The brown roll-rim has a brown cap with an inrolled margin and yellowish decurrent gills that turn brown when touched. It was long regarded as edible, but in people who eat it repeatedly it can trigger an immune reaction that destroys red blood cells (Paxillus syndrome), which can be fatal.

Also called: common roll-rim, poison pax Turkish: Kıvrık kenarlı mantar

Brown roll-rim (Paxillus involutus), whole fruiting body

How to recognise it

Brown roll-rim, part by part

No ring or volva Spore print: Brown Not distinctive; faintly sour.

Brown roll-rim (Paxillus involutus), whole fruiting body
Cap5–12 cm, convex then depressed and funnel-shaped; olive-brown to rusty brown, sticky when wet; the margin is strongly inrolled and felty.
Brown roll-rim (Paxillus involutus), gills under the cap, seen from below
GillsCrowded, decurrent gills; yellowish olive, turning dark brown when touched or bruised, and easily peeled from the cap.
Stem4–8 cm, short and stout; same shade as the cap or paler, bruising brown.

When and where

Jun–Nov

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Junin season
  7. Julin season
  8. Augin season
  9. Sepin season
  10. Octin season
  11. Novin season
  12. Dec

The brown roll-rim fruits from early summer to late autumn; Turkish GBIF records are mostly from October.

Type Poisonous

Months seen JuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovember

Colour Brown

Regions Black Sea RegionCentral Anatolia RegionMarmara RegionDüzceSinopTrabzonAnkaraIstanbul

Where does brown roll-rim grow?

It grows in broadleaf and conifer woods on acidic soils, especially under birch, oak, beech and pine, forming a mycorrhizal partnership with the trees.

Where is brown roll-rim found in Turkey?

The brown roll-rim has only a few GBIF records in Turkey, from İstanbul, Düzce, Sinop, Trabzon and Ankara.

Which months

  1. Jan0
  2. Feb0
  3. Mar0
  4. Apr0
  5. May0
  6. Jun1
  7. Jul0
  8. Aug0
  9. Sep1
  10. Oct5
  11. Nov0
  12. Dec0

5 provinces, 7 observations (GBIF, iNaturalist); months from observation dates. Record density also reflects where observers work.

Latest brown roll-rim observations

On "illustrative" cards the image is a photo of the species; the observation photo cannot be shown here because of its licence, but can be seen at the source.

Look-alikes

What is it mistaken for?

Brown roll-rim can be mistaken for the species below. Each card shows the look-alike and how it differs from Brown roll-rim.

Brown roll-rim (Paxillus involutus), whole fruiting body
This species Brown roll-rim
Milk caps (e.g. ugly milk-cap, Lactarius turpis) (Lactarius turpis) Inedible

not Brown roll-rim

Milk caps (e.g. ugly milk-cap, Lactarius turpis) Lactarius turpis

Sources say the brown roll-rim is most often confused with milk caps, especially the olive-brown ugly milk-cap (Lactarius turpis). Milk caps exude milk when cut; the roll-rim has no milk, its gills peel easily from the cap and bruise brown.

Lurid bolete (Suillellus luridus) Poisonous

not Brown roll-rim

Lurid bolete Suillellus luridus

Under the cap it has reddish pores instead of gills, and its flesh turns blue when cut; the similar brown tones can cause confusion at a distance.

Velvet roll-rim (Tapinella atrotomentosa) Inedible

not Brown roll-rim

Velvet roll-rim Tapinella atrotomentosa

It grows on conifer stumps and roots and has a dark brown, velvety stem; the brown roll-rim grows from soil and has a smooth stem.

Suillus collinitus, whole fruiting body Inedible

not Brown roll-rim

Suillus collinitus Suillus collinitus

Suillus collinitus has yellow pores instead of gills, no inrolled cap margin, and grows only under pines.

Toxins

Paxillus syndrome is caused not by a direct toxin but by an immune reaction (haemolysis) against a not yet fully identified antigen in the mushroom; the 1944 death of the German mycologist Julius Schäffer is attributed to it. Source

Frequently asked questions

Is the brown roll-rim poisonous?

Yes, and it can be deadly. Raw it causes digestive upset; in people who eat it repeatedly an immune reaction can destroy red blood cells (Paxillus syndrome) and lead to kidney failure.

It used to be eaten, so why not now?

It was long considered edible, but once Paxillus syndrome was understood and deaths were reported it came to be regarded as dangerous. Having eaten it safely before is no guarantee.

How do you identify the brown roll-rim?

A brown cap with a strongly inrolled margin, yellowish gills running down the stem, and gills and stem that turn brown when touched or bruised.

How is it told from milk caps?

Milk caps (Lactarius) exude milk when cut. The brown roll-rim has no milk, its gills peel easily from the cap and bruised areas turn brown.

Is it safe once cooked?

No. Cooking may reduce the digestive upset, but it does not remove the risk of the immune reaction.

Where is it found in Turkey?

In birch, oak, beech and pine woods on acidic soil. The few Turkish GBIF records come from İstanbul, Düzce, Sinop, Trabzon and Ankara.

Is brown roll-rim poisonous?

Yes, brown roll-rim is deadly poisonous and must never be eaten. Eaten raw or undercooked, the brown roll-rim causes vomiting and diarrhoea within hours. More importantly, even people who have eaten it for years without trouble can become sensitised to a mushroom antigen; at a later meal their red blood cells are destroyed, kidney failure may follow and deaths have been reported. Cooking does not remove this risk. If poisoning is suspected, keep any leftover mushroom.

When is brown roll-rim season in Turkey?

In our calendar, brown roll-rim season runs Jun–Nov. The brown roll-rim fruits from early summer to late autumn; Turkish GBIF records are mostly from October.

Where does brown roll-rim grow?

It grows in broadleaf and conifer woods on acidic soils, especially under birch, oak, beech and pine, forming a mycorrhizal partnership with the trees.

Where is brown roll-rim found in Turkey?

The brown roll-rim has only a few GBIF records in Turkey, from İstanbul, Düzce, Sinop, Trabzon and Ankara.

What can brown roll-rim be confused with?

Brown roll-rim can be confused with milk caps (e.g. ugly milk-cap, Lactarius turpis) (Lactarius turpis, inedible), lurid bolete (Suillellus luridus, poisonous), velvet roll-rim (Tapinella atrotomentosa, inedible) and suillus collinitus (Suillus collinitus, inedible). Look-alikes are compared on this page.

What is brown roll-rim called in Turkish?

In Turkish, brown roll-rim (Paxillus involutus) is called Kıvrık kenarlı mantar.

Related species

All species → · Identify by photo →

Sources

  1. Stöver ve ark. (2019), Diagnostics: Paxillus sendromu ve ölümcül immünohemoliz pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  2. Adanacıoğlu ve ark. (2014), ANADOLU (Ege Tarımsal Araştırma Enstitüsü): Türkiye makromantar genetik kaynakları I. Ege Bölgesi dergipark.org.tr
  3. Wikipedia (EN): Paxillus involutus en.wikipedia.org
All sources (6)
  1. First Nature: Paxillus involutus first-nature.com
  2. GBIF: Türkiye kayıtları gbif.org
  3. iNaturalist: Türkiye gözlemleri inaturalist.org
Photo credits (8)