Birch bolete or aspen bolete: what's the difference?

The brown birch bolete (birch bolete) and the red-capped scaber stalk, also known as the orange bolete, often come up in the same breath among foragers. No wonder: they're the closest of relatives, both belong to the scaber stalk genus (Leccinum) and are built very much alike.

Still, they're hard to confuse, because the difference catches your eye at first glance. Let's look at how the brown birch bolete differs from the red-capped scaber stalk, so you know for sure what's in front of you. For a detailed side-by-side comparison, see the page brown birch bolete vs. red-capped scaber stalk.

Cap color, the main difference

The first thing that gives these mushrooms away is the color of the cap.

• The brown birch bolete has a gray, brown or almost black cap, modest and unremarkable.
• The red-capped scaber stalk has a bright rusty-orange, orange-red cap that you can spot from afar.

It's that fiery cap that gave the red-capped scaber stalk its name. If an orange «head» glows in the grass, it's a red-capped scaber stalk. If it's a modest grayish mushroom, it's a brown birch bolete.

Stem and flesh

The two mushrooms are built alike, but there are small differences.

Both have a long white stem with scales. But on the brown birch bolete the scales are mostly dark on a pale background, while on the red-capped scaber stalk they darken over time and look coarser, and the stem itself is stockier.

The difference is far more noticeable when you cut them. The flesh of the brown birch bolete barely changes when cut, or turns slightly gray. The flesh of the red-capped scaber stalk, on the other hand, quickly turns blue, black or even takes on a violet tinge. This is normal and safe, but it looks dramatic.

Which tree they grow under

The mushrooms' names hint at their main partners.

• The brown birch bolete lives under birch, so look for it in deciduous and mixed birch woods.
• The red-capped scaber stalk classically grows under aspen, though it also turns up under birch and other trees.

So in a pure birch grove you're more likely to come across the brown birch bolete, and in an aspen stand or near aspens, the red-capped scaber stalk. In a mixed forest, where both birch and aspen grow, you may find both.

Among the orange-capped scaber stalks there's also the orange birch bolete, which grows specifically under birch, so sometimes these mushrooms really do share the same forest edge.

Which is tastier and firmer

Both mushrooms are edible and good, but the red-capped scaber stalk is prized a little more.

The red-capped scaber stalk has denser flesh, so it holds its shape better and goes soggy less. The brown birch bolete is more tender and tasty when young, but turns spongy faster. Both darken during cooking, but they're equally good on the table.

Like all scaber stalks, they're best picked young and firm for the table. The main thing is not to mistake either of them for the bitter-tasting bitter bolete, which stands out with its pinkish pore layer and unbearable bitterness.

The weather will tell you when exactly to head out for mushrooms. Keep an eye on conditions with our mushroom radar: it shows when moisture and warmth line up well for mushrooms to appear.

Sources

• «Key to the Fungi of Ukraine» (Kyiv, Naukova Dumka publishers).
• Leccinum aurantiacum on GBIF, a global biodiversity database.
• Leccinum on MycoBank, an international fungal nomenclature database.
• Leccinum aurantiacum on Wikipedia.