In 1762, German naturalist Jacob Christian Schäffer described the species Agaricus tigrinus with an illustration corresponding to what is thought to be T. pardinum, and consequently, the name Tricholoma tigrinum has been used erroneously in some European field guides.

The fruit body of Tricholoma pardinum is an imposing mushroom with a pale grey cap up to 15 cm (6 in) in diameter that is covered with dark brownish to greyish scales.

One of the more toxic members of the genus Tricholoma, the species has been implicated in a number of episodes of mushroom poisoning, probably because it is a large, attractive mushroom with a pleasant smell and taste, and it bears a superficial resemblance to several edible species, like Tricholoma terreum.

The German naturalist Jacob Christian Schäffer published Fungorum qui in Bavaria et Palatinatu circa Ratisbonam nascuntur Icones in 1762,[2] in which he described a mushroom he called Agaricus tigrinus.

[5] In his 1838 work Epicrisis systematis mycologici: seu synopsis hymenomycetum, Fries assigned a different fungus again to the binomial name and linked it to Schäffer's 1762 description.

[6] French mycologist Lucien Quélet reclassified it as a species in 1873, giving it its current binomial name.

[13][14] The uncertainty was such that Czech mycologists Josef Herink and František Kotlaba suggested in 1967 that both are incorrect and proposed the new name T. pardalotum.

[15] Tricholoma pardinum lies within the subgenus Pardinicutis of Tricholoma, a grouping of similar species characterised by greyish, brownish, or pallid caps that are woolly or covered in small scales, spores with a length between eight and eleven micrometres, and abundant clamp connections in the hyphae.

[3] The specific epithet pardinum is derived from the Latin pardus "leopard",[19][20] referring to its mottled or spotted cap.

[21] The generic name derives from Greek θρίξ thrix "hair" (GEN τριχός trichos) and λῶμα lōma "hem", "fringe", or "border".

[37] T. myomyces is smaller than T. pardinum, has a thin, fibrous partial veil on young specimens, and elliptical spores measuring 5.0–6.0 by 3.5–4.0 μm.

[24] In North America, Tricholoma pardinum can be confused with T. nigrum and forms of T. virgatum that have more streaked rather than spotted caps.

[21] A form of T. pardinum in North America can be nearly white with pale scales, and may be confused with the whitish edible species T. resplendens.

[25] Microscopically, the presence of clamp connections sets T. pardinum apart from most other members of the genus; the similar-looking (though more tan-coloured) T. venenatum also has them.

[38] In Asia, it has been recorded from İzmir Province in southwestern Turkey,[39] China,[40] and Sado Island in Japan.

[36] T. pardinum is commonly associated with conifers in the Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest, and with tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus) and madrone (Arbutus spp.)

[25] In Europe, it is found on chalky soil in woodland with beech and fir in summer and autumn,[11] where it prefers areas of some elevation.

[37] In one case, seven people and a cat suffered severe symptoms after sharing a meal that contained only two mushroom caps.

The toxin, the identity of which is unknown,[45] appears to cause a sudden inflammation of the mucous membranes lining the stomach and intestines.

Treatment is supportive; antispasmodic medicines may lessen colicky abdominal cramps, and activated charcoal may be administered early on to bind residual toxin.