Conservation Status: Not of concern

Tricholoma saponaceum is a common and confusingly variable fungus. The principal characters used to distinguish it are the somewhat greasy look of the cap, the often faint or lacking soapy odor (from which the species got its name), and the pinkish orange color of the flesh in the base of the stipe, another character that unfortunately is not always well developed. The cap ranges in color from greenish yellow to olivaceous to grayish brown to pale brown, and often develops cracks in dry weather. The gills are rather broad and thick, giving somewhat the appearance of a wax-cap, they and the stipe are whitish, but often show flushes of color similar to that of the cap. The flesh sometimes stains pinkish orange, but often does not. Microscopically, similar to T. pardinum, it has abundant clamp connections. T. saponaceum is widespread in the Northern Hemisphere in a variety of forest types, often occurring in large numbers.