1 October 2020 Hampshire. Photograph copyright Leif Goodwin. Cap Convex, expanding with age, finely downy, dry, brown to whitish, margin sometimes overhanging, to 8 cm across Pores Whitish to greyish, bruising brown Stem Cylindrical, tapering towards the apex, covered with woolly scales that are initially white, then greyish with age, often with blue green stains at the base Flesh Whitish, discolouring pink Smell Indistinct Taste Indistinct Season Autumn Distribution Very common Habitat With birch Spore Print White Microscopic Features Spores spindle-shaped (14-19.5) x (4-6.5) µm2. Cap cuticle hyphae filamentous, some dark brown some encrusted. Edibility Edible, poor Notes This species was first described as recently as 1991. The brown capped Leccinum species which grow in association with birch are a difficult group, which underwent significant revisions as a result of DNA studies. See also Leccinum scabrum, Leccinum holopus and Leccinum schistophilum. 
Note the blue green stains at the base. 1 October 2020 Hampshire. Photograph copyright Leif Goodwin. 
Spores in Congo Red solution viewed with a x100 immersion objective. 1 October 2020 Hampshire. Photograph copyright Leif Goodwin. 
Cap hyphae in Congo Red solution viewed with a x40 objective. 1 October 2020 Hampshire. Photograph copyright Leif Goodwin. 
12 October 2010 Surrey. Photograph copyright Leif Goodwin. |