The cap is generally in diameter, though rarely can be up to across. The cap is olive to brown, with the surface splitting into olive- to clay-coloured scales as it ages, with white flesh between. The overall shape of the fruitbody is vase-shaped. The flesh is thick and white. The spore-bearing surface is yellow when young and ages to a buff-pink, and stains wine-coloured when bruised in younger specimens. The hymenium is decurrently attached to the stipe. The stipe is generally high and wide, though can be as tall as . The
spore print is ochre-coloured. Younger specimens also have a pungent smell, and the
flesh can have an acrid taste. Laboratory experiments have shown that
T. kauffmanii contains norcaperatic acid, though at lower concentrations than
T. floccosus. Norcaperatic acid increases tone of guinea pig smooth muscle of the small bowel (ileum), and that when given to rats, leads to mydriasis, skeletal muscle weakness, and central nervous system depression. It is likely the agent responsible for toxic (gastrointestinal) symptoms that occur in
T. floccosus. ==Taxonomy==