Tricholoma pessundatum, known as the Bruised Knight, is a medium to large mushroom with a dark reddish-brown cap and a sturdy pale stem. It is commonly found in dry pine forests, sometimes also with spruce, across much of northern Europe. The mushroom has a distinctive mealy or watermelon-like odour and appears in the autumn months.

Cap convex when young, becoming broadly convex to flat with age. The surface is smooth and dark reddish-brown, often lighter towards the margin, and may display a faint ring of small gelatinous spots near the edge. Gills notched at the stem, fairly crowded, whitish to pale cream in colour. Stem stout, nearly equal in width, whitish with a pale brownish tone towards the base, smooth or slightly fibrous, and without a ring. Flesh thick and firm, white, becoming slightly brownish near the base. Spore print white.

Note: The North American counterpart of Tricholoma pessundatum is Tricholoma muricatum, which differs by having larger spores and distinct microscopic features in the cap surface.

Tricholoma pessundatum on the Wikipedia Web site.