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brown birch bolete (Leccinum scabrum)
Leccinum scabrum is a tubercle with a greyish brown cap and a white stem full of black scales. It grows exclusively on birches.
Scientific name: Leccinum scabrum
Features
The cap is 5 to 15 cm wide, grey to dark brown, smooth and greasy when wet. The tubes are whitish to grey-white, protruding bulging in old age; they hardly discolour. The stem is slim, white to gray and set with black to dark brown scales (soot). Ring and volva are missing. It smells and tastes mild. The flesh is white, soft and watery in old age, and does not discolour or only slightly pink. Brown
Habitat
Always tied to birch — bogs, pioneer woods and parks with Betula.
Season
June to October once birch is in leaf and the soil stays moist.
Weather and fruiting
After rain under birch it is often more reliable than porcini in mixed woods. Stem with dark scabers, cap grey-brown.
Lookalike risk
Bitter bolete: His stem carries a coarse, dark net instead of scales, the tubes turn pink and it tastes bitter. Leccinum carpini: It grows in hornbeams and its flesh turns gray to black. Leccinum variicolor: Its stem base is blue in the incision.
More regions
brown birch bolete · Scottish Highlands
Cool, wet Atlantic climate; season later and longer than in southern England.
brown birch bolete · Cairngorms
Upland granite and pine woods; elevation delays fruiting compared with the coast.
brown birch bolete · New Forest
Lowland mixed woods and heath; earlier season after mild, wet summers.
brown birch bolete · Lake District
High rainfall on western fells; valleys fruit earlier than high tarns.
brown birch bolete · Galloway
Mild, wet south-west Scotland with Sitka and mixed woodland.
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FAQ
What does the map show?
Weather-based foraging chances, not a guarantee that fruit bodies stand at the pin.
Can I eat this mushroom?
No page replaces identification. If unsure, leave it or ask an expert.
Birch bolete: is it edible?
Yes, it is an edible mushroom. Only well cooked food; black scaled rough feet are all edible in Central Europe, but Tylopilus felleus have a net instead of scales.
Birch bolete: when and where does it grow?
In central Europe the season runs June to October. Habitat: Birch.
Birch bolete: what are the lookalikes?
The most important distinction is from Bitter bolete (Tylopilus felleus, inedible): His stem carries a coarse, dark net instead of scales, the tubes turn pink and it tastes bitter. Other lookalikes: Leccinum carpini, Leccinum variicolor.
When is a trip worth it?
After rain under birch it is often more reliable than porcini in mixed woods. Stem with dark scabers, cap grey-brown.