Poison Pie
This is a seriously toxic species that causes severe but non-fatal gastrointestinal symptoms if eaten, developing with the first few hours. The odor is distinctly of radish and the taste bitter or of radish also. The fruitings typically are gregarious, or in arcs or rings under both hardwoods and conifers, in this case in grass beneath cottonwood. Caps are typically creamy to buff to light tan, up to 10cm across and convex to plane, smooth but slimy when wet. The gills are close to crowded, brownish or cap-colored, and in moist conditions have liquid drops on the edges which turn into black dots on drying. Gill edges are white. The stems may be anywhere from 3-12 cm tall and up to 1.5cm across. They are colored like the cap, equal, with rows of flakes towards the apex but no scales, cortina or ring. The species is mycorrhizal, widely distributed, and most commonly encountered in late summer or fall.