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Plums and custard (Tricholomopsis rutilans), whole fruiting body
User:Strobilomyces · CC BY-SA 3.0
Inedible

Plums and custard

Tricholomopsis rutilans · Phyllotopsidaceae

Plums and custard (Tricholomopsis rutilans) grows on rotting pine stumps and roots and is easy to spot by its yellow cap covered in fine purple-red scales and its yellow gills; the colours give it its English name.

Last updated: Prepared by the Poros Mantar editorial team5 sources checkedReport a correction

FamilyPhyllotopsidaceae
SeasonOct–Jan
Spore printWhite
Cap width5–12 cm
Stem length5–10 cm
Records in Turkey12 records
CultivationWild only
StatusInedible

Plums and custard (Tricholomopsis rutilans) grows on rotting pine stumps and roots and is easy to spot by its yellow cap covered in fine purple-red scales and its yellow gills; the colours give it its English name. It is not deadly, but it is bitterish and can upset the stomach, so we list it as not edible.

Also called: red-haired agaric, purple-yellow agaric Turkish: Acı çilek mantarı Synonyms: Tricholoma rutilans, Agaricus rutilans

Plums and custard (Tricholomopsis rutilans), whole fruiting body

How to recognise it

Plums and custard, part by part

No ring or volva Spore print: White Faintly woody or radish-like; the flesh is pale yellow and tastes bitterish.

Plums and custard (Tricholomopsis rutilans), cap seen from above
Cap5–12 cm; convex, then flattening. A yellow background densely covered in fine purple-red scales or fibres, thicker in the centre so the yellow shows towards the edge.
Plums and custard (Tricholomopsis rutilans), gills under the cap, seen from below
GillsGills attached to the stem, crowded and a bright egg-yolk yellow; this yellow is the key feature.
Plums and custard (Tricholomopsis rutilans), stem and stem base
Stem5–10 cm, yellow with purple-red scales like the cap, often curved.

When and where

Oct–Jan

  1. Janin season
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Octin season
  11. Novin season
  12. Decin season

Plums and custard appears in autumn; our records run from October to January, most of them in October.

Type Inedible

Months seen OctoberNovemberDecemberJanuary

Colour YellowRedPurple

Regions Black Sea RegionMediterranean RegionMarmara RegionBartınOrduOsmaniyeBoluIstanbul

Where does plums and custard grow?

On rotting stumps, roots and wood of conifers, especially pine; singly or in small clusters. When the wood is buried it can look as if it is growing from soil.

Where is plums and custard found in Turkey?

Our map data (GBIF and iNaturalist) holds 12 Turkish records, mostly from Bolu and Istanbul, plus Bartın, Osmaniye and Ordu. They cluster in the pine forests of the Black Sea and Marmara regions.

Which months

  1. Jan3
  2. Feb0
  3. Mar0
  4. Apr0
  5. May0
  6. Jun0
  7. Jul0
  8. Aug0
  9. Sep0
  10. Oct6
  11. Nov2
  12. Dec1

5 provinces, 12 observations (GBIF, iNaturalist); months from observation dates. Record density also reflects where observers work.

Latest plums and custard 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.

Plums and custard (Tricholomopsis rutilans), in its natural habitat
In its habitat

Look-alikes

What could it be confused with?

Plums and custard can be mistaken for the species below. Each card shows the look-alike and how it differs from Plums and custard.

Plums and custard (Tricholomopsis rutilans), whole fruiting body
This species Plums and custard
Sulphur tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare), whole fruiting body Poisonous

not Plums and custard

Sulphur tuft Hypholoma fasciculare

Sulphur tuft also forms yellow clusters on stumps, but its cap has no purple-red scales; its gills turn from greenish-yellow to purple-brown and its spore print is purple-brown. Plums and custard has a purple-red scaly cap, egg-yolk yellow gills and a white spore print.

Prunes and custard (Tricholomopsis decora) Inedible

not Plums and custard

Prunes and custard Tricholomopsis decora

Its close relative Tricholomopsis decora has a yellow cap with dark brown to blackish scales rather than purple ones, and it is smaller.

What it contains

Its flesh is described as bitterish with a woody smell; it has no culinary value.

General information, not a health claim.

Plums and custard is not deadly, but it tastes bitterish and is reported to upset some people's stomachs; sources rate it as poor or inedible. It can also be confused with the poisonous sulphur tuft, which forms yellow clusters on stumps. Do not eat it. If poisoning is suspected, call poison control and keep any leftover mushroom.

Frequently asked questions

Is plums and custard edible?

Our advice is not to eat it. It is not deadly, but it is bitterish, upsets some stomachs and sources rate it as poor or inedible.

Is it poisonous?

It is not dangerously poisonous; mild stomach upsets are reported. The bigger risk is confusing it with the poisonous sulphur tuft.

How do you recognise it?

A yellow cap densely covered in purple-red scales, egg-yolk yellow gills, a white spore print and growth on pine stumps.

Where does it grow?

On rotting stumps, roots and wood of conifers, especially pine.

When does it appear?

In autumn; our records run from October to January, peaking in October.

How do you tell it from sulphur tuft?

Check the cap and spore print: plums and custard has a purple-red scaly cap and a white print. Sulphur tuft has a smooth cap, greenish gills and a purple-brown print.

Where is it found in Turkey?

Our map data has 12 records from Bolu, Istanbul, Bartın, Osmaniye and Ordu.

What is its Turkish name?

Its Turkish name on iNaturalist is acı çilek mantarı.

When is plums and custard season in Turkey?

In our calendar, plums and custard season runs Oct–Jan. Plums and custard appears in autumn; our records run from October to January, most of them in October.

Where does plums and custard grow?

On rotting stumps, roots and wood of conifers, especially pine; singly or in small clusters. When the wood is buried it can look as if it is growing from soil.

Where is plums and custard found in Turkey?

Our map data (GBIF and iNaturalist) holds 12 Turkish records, mostly from Bolu and Istanbul, plus Bartın, Osmaniye and Ordu. They cluster in the pine forests of the Black Sea and Marmara regions.

What can plums and custard be confused with?

Plums and custard can be confused with sulphur tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare, poisonous) and prunes and custard (Tricholomopsis decora, inedible). Look-alikes are compared on this page.

What is plums and custard called in Turkish?

In Turkish, plums and custard (Tricholomopsis rutilans) is called Acı çilek mantarı.

Related species

All species → · Identify by photo →

Sources

  1. Wang ve Liu (2005), Steroids: Tricholomopsis rutilans'tan steril esterler pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  2. Wikipedia (EN): Tricholomopsis rutilans en.wikipedia.org
  3. First Nature: Tricholomopsis rutilans first-nature.com
All sources (5)
  1. iNaturalist: Tricholomopsis rutilans (Türkçe ad ve Türkiye gözlemleri) inaturalist.org
  2. GBIF: Türkiye kayıtları gbif.org
Photo credits (9)