Brown birch bolete or Leccinum melaneum

Cap 5–15 cm across, at first spherical or hemispherical, later cushion-shaped. The surface is smooth or slightly wrinkled, dry or a little sticky in wet weather. Color ranges from grayish brown to dark brown, more rarely almost black.

The cap of Leccinum melaneum reaches 5 to 12 centimeters across. When young it is hemispherical; with age it becomes convex and cushion-shaped. The surface is smooth, dry or slightly slimy in rain, and matte. The color is very dark — dark brown, gray-black or almost black, which gave the mushroom its name; the margin is sometimes paler. The dark, almost black cap reliably sets this species apart from the paler birch boletes.

The hymenophore is tubular. The tubes and pores are white, small in young mushrooms and wider in mature ones. When pressed, the pores turn slightly brownish, but there's never any bluing: unlike in the red-capped scaber stalks, the flesh doesn't blue even at the stem base.

The spore-bearing surface is made of tubes. The tubes are long, with small round pores; in young mushrooms they are dirty white or grayish, turning gray-brown with age. When pressed, the pores may slowly darken. The tube layer separates easily from the cap flesh, which is typical of boletes. The spore print is olive-brown.

Stem 8–18 cm tall, 1.5–3 cm thick, cylindrical, fairly long and slender compared with the cap. The surface is white or grayish, densely covered with dark, fibrous scales — the hallmark of the genus Leccinum. The stem is firm and fibrous.

The stem is tall and slender, 6 to 15 centimeters high, whitish or grayish white, covered along its whole length with dark — gray-brown to black — scales that form a granular, net-like pattern. When young the stem is firm; with age it becomes fibrous and tough. There is no volva and no ring. The combination of a dark cap, a scaly stem and birch neighbors is what sets this species apart.

The flesh is firm and white; when cut it doesn't change colour or turns slightly pinkish, and after a few hours may become a little greyish or brownish. It darkens to grey-black only when cooked. The taste is mild and neutral. The cap skin doesn't peel.

The flesh is white and fairly firm in young mushrooms, softening and becoming watery with age. When cut it barely changes color or turns slightly gray. The taste is mild and pleasant, without bitterness. Because the flesh tends to go soft, young, firm specimens are the ones to pick for the table.

The smell is unobtrusive, pleasant and typically mushroomy. The aroma intensifies with cooking. When dried, the brown birch bolete takes on a rich scent that falls short of porcini but is noticeably better than most other pored mushrooms.

The smell is faint, pleasant and typically mushroomy, with no sharp or unpleasant notes. Aroma is not a defining feature, so for identification rely on the very dark cap, the scaly stem and the constant link with birch.