Edible mushroom - novice Season - summer to autumn Common names Brown birch bolete, rough birch bolete, birch bolete, scaber stalk
Scientific name meaning: Leccinum comes for the Italian Leccino, which was used to describe rough-stemmed boletes. Scabrum is from the Latin Scaber, meaning rough, rugged or roughened
Habitat  A mycorrhizal fungus that associates with birch. |
Overall structure and growth  A fairly large, solid mushroom that can appear individually or in groups. |
Cap  The cap is usually between 5 and 15cm. The surface colour is a shade of brown from very pale, almost white, through to dark brown. It is dome-shaped, often misshapen, and sometimes with a wavy edge. The cap starts off velvety, but smooths with age. It can be slimy when wet. |
Pores, tubes and spores  The circular pores and tubes are an off-white colour. The pores can get quite large when the fruit body ages. When bruised or damaged, the pore surface and tube bruise slightly brown very slowly. The spore colour is olive brown. |
Stem  Sturdy and white/off-white in colour, the stem is covered in dark, almost black, scales that resemble pilling on a woollen jumper. They are usually more dense nearer the base of the stem. The stem is 2 to 3cm wide and 2 to 20cm tall. It has no ring/skirt and tapers at the cap end. |
Flesh, smell and taste  The white flesh usually displays no colour change when damaged but can sometime go slightly pinkish. The smell is slightly sweet and taste is mild. |
Possible lookalikes  Could be confused with any of the other Leccinums, such as the orange birch bolete (Leccinum versipelle), pictured, but these are edible. The flesh in the base of the orange birch bolete turns blue or blue-green when damaged. |
Use as a food Must be thoroughly cooked and can be used exactly as a cultivated mushroom. It has a delicate sweet flavour and dehydrates well if storage is required. The outer flesh of the stems can be tough, so best peeled off.
The pores/tubes in older specimens contain a lot of detritus so should be removed Hazards Must be thoroughly cooked to avoid digestive problems
Use in herbal medicine and medicine None known.
If you are suffering from any ailment or need medical advice, please see your General Practitioner Other uses None known at time of writing Importance to other species Food source of many invertebrates
Always stay safe when foraging. You need to be 100% sure of your identification, 100% sure that your foraged item is edible, and 100% sure that you are not allergic to it (it is good practice to always try a small amount of any new food you are consuming). If in doubt, leave it out!
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