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Brown roll-rim with inrolled margin and yellowish gills
Poisonousintermediate

Brown Roll-rim

Paxillus involutus

A brown mushroom with a strongly inrolled rim and soft gills that bruise brown, once eaten but now known to be dangerous.

Photo: Michel Langeveld, CC BY
Compiled by Mushroom Forage Map field deskExpert review pendingContent checked
Toxicity warning

Poisonous and potentially fatal. Repeated meals can trigger an immune reaction that destroys red blood cells.

Season
Summer to autumn
Habitat
Woods, heath, and parks, especially with birch
Underside
Decurrent yellowish gills that bruise brown and peel easily
Spore evidence
Brown

Where it grows

Tracked records and known growing zone

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Squares: where people recorded it, brighter where more people did
Verified records
4,611
People who recorded it
2,535
Most records (northern hemisphere)
Sep–Oct
Records span
1998–2026

Research-grade iNaturalist records, snapshot Aug 27, 2026. The growing zone combines areas where different people have repeatedly verified it. Records show where people looked and found it, not current abundance or permission to gather.

Observation season

When field records occur

Choose a hemisphere · All recorded years; not a current forecast.

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Lookalikes to rule out

Milk caps

caution

Lactarius species release latex when cut.

Velvet roll-rim

caution

Tapinella atrotomentosa has a black velvety stem and grows on conifer stumps.

Identification

The cap is brown and often sticky, with a margin that stays rolled inward. The gills run down the stem, are yellowish to olive, bruise brown, and can be peeled from the cap in one sheet. The stem is short.

Why it matters

Brown roll-rim was eaten widely in eastern Europe. Raw specimens cause gastrointestinal poisoning, and after repeated meals some people develop immune hemolysis and kidney failure, which has been fatal.

Memorable fact

The German mycologist Julius Schäffer died in 1944 after eating this mushroom.

Sources

Never eat a mushroom from this page alone

Confirm identity using the whole specimen, multiple reputable sources, and a qualified local expert. Identified edible species still require appropriate preparation. Cooking does not make a poisonous mushroom safe.

Safety and poison response
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