Plants Pacific Northwest

Leccinum Scabrum - Brown Birch Bolete

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Leccinum Scabrum: Brown birch Bolete.

Caps are 5-20 cm, slippery when wet, smooth to velvety, convex to plane and tan to smoky or blackish-brown. The flesh is whitish and doesn't stain. The tubes are white to grayish, staining darker. Pores are tiny and round. Stalks are up to 15 cm tall, by 2 cm wide, white to gray or smoky, with raised black dots. The spore print is brown to brown with green bias Common and widespread this species fruits on the ground mostly under birch. Edible.

Appearing under birch trees, and sometimes in large numbers, this summer and autumn fungus is a popular edible species. These large boletes are best picked while still young.
Identification guide

Spore print brown with green bias.
Odor/taste The faint smell and taste are pleasant.
Habitat On or beside stumps; also beside woodland footpaths.
Season July to November.
Occurrence Frequent.
Similar species Leccinum versipelle has a more orange cap and bruises blue-green in the stem base.

Leccinum Scabrum is recognized by a dull tan-brown to medium-brown cap that may be subviscid to viscid depending on conditions, and a context that normally does not blue when cut, or if so, only faintly. In California it appears to be restricted to ornamental birches (Betula spp.) planted in urban areas, and presumably was introduced on nursery rootstock. It often fruits with another birch-loving species, Lactarius pubescens var. betulae.

Edible, of fair quality. Many Leccinums are better after being dried.