Leccinum percandidum: the pale, fringed orange birch bolete

Leccinum percandidum (in Ukrainian pidosychnyk bilyi, the “white aspen bolete”) is an edible bolete with a white or pale ochre cap, from whose edge hangs a narrow fringe of skin, and a tall pale stem covered in fine scales. When cut, the flesh first turns pinkish, then greyish with a violet tinge and then black, and at the base of the stem it may turn blue. It grows in late summer and autumn with birch, and according to some observations also with aspen. It is not listed in the Red Book of Ukraine. Most modern mycologists consider it a pale form of the orange birch bolete.

In early October 2026 we came across a group of four of these mushrooms in a mixed forest where pine grows together with birch and oak, right among lingonberry and bilberry. We identify them as Leccinum percandidum, but marked “probably”, and below we explain why.

What Leccinum percandidum looks like

Here is the main thing to look at in Leccinum percandidum:

• The cap of a young mushroom is hemispherical, then convex, white or whitish, and in a mature one pale brownish, the colour of light ochre. The surface is dry, as if finely felted. When touched, the cap may turn rusty or darken.
• The cap edge is fringed: the skin extends a few millimetres beyond the tubes and hangs down in uneven flaps.
• The tubes and pores are greyish-white, greyish-ochre with age, and turn brown where pressed.
• The stem is tall and whitish, covered in small greyish, brownish or even blackish scales. At the base there is often a blue-green tinge.
• The flesh is white and firm. When cut it turns pinkish, then grey and black, with a violet tinge in the cap, and may turn blue at the bottom of the stem.

According to European mycologists' descriptions, in this group the cap is 8–18 cm across and the stem up to 20 cm tall. Ours were more modest.

The first photo shows three mushrooms from our group: two large Leccinum percandidum on the left and a smaller one on the right, on a pale stem. The caps are pale ochre and velvety-looking, and the edge of the biggest cap is noticeably uneven, with a fringe. Around them are lingonberry, bilberry with reddened leaves, bits of pine bark and fallen leaves.

The fringe on the cap edge

The best thing our photos show is the fringe. In the orange birch bolete group, the cap skin extends 2–4 mm beyond the tubes and hangs down in uneven flaps, especially in young mushrooms. This feature helps tell the pale mushroom apart from the similar ghost bolete: its cap edge is even and extends a millimetre at most.

Look closely at the caps: the surface is matt, as if made of fine suede, the largest has scratches and bits of debris stuck to it, and the edge is framed by a pale, uneven border.

From above, the group looks like four pale “buns” among the lingonberry. They are all the same colour, pale ochre, with none of the orange or red found in the common aspen bolete and the orange birch bolete.

Why we say “probably”

We identify these mushrooms as Leccinum percandidum because a lot matches: a pale ochre cap with no orange tones, a fringe along the edge, a tall pale stem with fine scales, lingonberry heath with birch and pine all around. On the stem of the right-hand mushroom, near the base, there is a dark, almost black patch. It looks as if the mushroom was damaged there, and in this group damaged flesh at the bottom of the stem does turn blue and black.

But we didn't photograph two important things: the pores under the cap and the cut flesh. And it is the colour change on cutting that best distinguishes this mushroom from its pale lookalikes. A lesson for the future: if you find an unfamiliar bolete, cut it lengthwise, wait a few minutes, and photograph both the pores and the cut.

In the top-down shot above, the smallest mushroom at the bottom still has a round, firm cap, and above it are three mature ones.

A separate species or a pale orange birch bolete?

The history of the name is tangled. The Soviet mycologist Boris Vassilkov described this mushroom in 1944 as Boletus percandidus, but without a Latin description, so under the rules of botanical nomenclature the name was invalid. It was validated by the French mycologist Blum in 1970, and the species was moved to the genus Leccinum by Lannoy and Estadès in 1995.

In 2005 the Dutch mycologists Den Bakker and Noordeloos revised all the European species of the genus Leccinum, including by DNA. It turned out that the DNA sequences of Leccinum percandidum are almost identical to those of the ordinary orange birch bolete (Leccinum versipelle). So they regard the white mushroom as merely a pale form of the orange birch bolete, and according to their data this group is very variable in colour anyway: from white to orange-brown. A 2012 Ukrainian review of the genus Leccinum lists 15 species for the country, and Leccinum percandidum is not among them as a separate species.

Not everyone agrees, though. French mycologists from the Mycocharentes society find white Leccinums every autumn where mostly aspens grow and there is not a single birch, and so they keep a separate name for them. For the forager, the conclusion is simple: Leccinum percandidum is a pale relative of the orange birch bolete and should be treated the same way.

Where and when it grows

The orange birch bolete and its pale form are mycorrhizal with birch. They grow in woods and on heaths, on sandy, slightly acidic soils. French observers also describe the white mushrooms under aspen. Our forest was similar: lingonberry, bilberry, pine bark on the ground, and birch and oak leaves in the litter.

The photo at the top of the article shows the spot well: dense lingonberry, red bilberry bushes behind, and a group of pale caps in the middle.

Look for it in late summer and autumn: in Britain the orange birch bolete fruits from July to September, French mycologists find white Leccinums every autumn, and we found ours in early October. Where to look for ordinary aspen boletes we explained in the article aspen bolete: when it grows and where to look.

Is Leccinum percandidum edible?

Yes, it is edible, like the orange birch bolete. But Leccinums don't like to be rushed: a raw or undercooked orange birch bolete can cause nausea. The Swedish guide Svampguiden recommends heating the orange birch bolete for at least 20 minutes. On our site the general rule for wild mushrooms is to boil them for at least 15 minutes, and for Leccinums it's better to allow those 20. More on cooking times in the article how long to boil mushrooms.

Flesh that turns grey and black when cut is a normal reaction, not a sign of a spoiled mushroom. Old, soft or maggoty mushrooms, on the other hand, are better left in the forest; we explained why in the article why you shouldn't pick old or wormy mushrooms.

What it can be confused with

• Ghost bolete. It also has a whitish cap, but its edge is even, with no fringe, and the cut flesh doesn't change colour or only turns faintly pink, sometimes turning blue just at the base of the stem. It grows with birch in sphagnum bogs and damp peaty places. It is also considered a good edible mushroom, so this mistake isn't a dangerous one.
• Bitter bolete. A pale cap can be deceptive, but in the bitter bolete the pores turn pink with age, there is a brown net on the stem, and the cut flesh doesn't darken. It is also very bitter, and cooking only intensifies the bitterness, so even one such mushroom can ruin a dish. How to recognise it we explained in the article bitter bolete.
• The common aspen bolete and the orange birch bolete. The same scales on the stem and darkening flesh, but the cap is orange, rusty or brick-red. You're unlikely to confuse them with the white one, except perhaps a faded old mushroom. On the difference between birch boletes and aspen boletes, read the article birch bolete or aspen bolete.

Is Leccinum percandidum in the Red Book of Ukraine?

No. We checked the current list of fungi in the Red Book of Ukraine, approved by Order No. 111 of Ukraine's Ministry of Environment of 15 February 2021: there is not a single species of the genus Leccinum in it. Nor is Leccinum percandidum among the boletes of the 2009 edition on the redbook-ua.org website. The boletes protected there include, for example, the bronze bolete, several Gyroporus species and Hemileccinum depilatum, but not Leccinums.