Edible mushroom - beginner Season - summer to autumn Common names mottled bolete
Scientific name meaning: Leccinum comes for the Italian Leccino, which was used to describe rough-stemmed boletes. Variicolor is derived from the Latin Vari and Color, which translates to changing variable colour
Habitat  A mycorrhizal fungus that associates with birch in mossy, wet woodland or heathland. |
Overall structure and growth  Although this mushroom can be quite tall, it has a thinner stem than most other Leccinum. It tends to be found as an individual or in small groups |
Cap  The convex cap can appear in various tones of grey to almost black, sometimes with mottling, spots or stripes. A rarer pale or even white form can also occur. It can reach between 5 and 15cm and is finely woolly/scaly. |
Pores, tubes and spores  The pores can are fairly large at 0.5mm and, link the tubes, are pale cream-white in colour. Both bruise brown slowly. and tubes start off white to buff. They have an adnexed attachment. The spore print is ochre to buff. |
Stem  The cylindrical stem often starts off barrel-shaped and can reach 15cm tall and 1-3cm in diameter. White or pale cream in colour, it is covered in woolly grey-black scales. Blueing is often apparent at the base of the stem. |
Flesh and smell  The flesh is firm and white and slowly stains pinkish in the cap and upper stem areas. At the base of the stem, blue-green staining occurs - sometimes very slowly. The smell is pleasant and faint. |
Possible lookalikes  The brown birch bolete (Leccinum scabrum), pictured, is similar in appearance and also associates with birch. However, it does not display any blueing in the stem. It is also edible. |
Use as a food This is a good edible but must be thoroughly cooked 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 sources 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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