Ghost bolete or Leccinum percandidum

Cap up to 20 cm (usually 5–10), hemispherical in young mushrooms, then cushion-shaped. White, cream, pale grayish green; with age it may take on an ochre tint. The surface is matte, slightly sticky in wet weather. The skin does not peel.

Cap 8–18 cm, hemispherical in young mushrooms, then cushion-shaped, almost flat in old ones. White, cream, grayish; with age it may take on ochre or yellowish tints. The surface is matte, slightly sticky in wet weather and dry and roughish in dry weather. The skin does not peel.

Hymenophore tubular, free. Grayish white when young, darkening to gray-brown with age. Pores small, easily separated from the cap flesh. They darken slightly when pressed.

Hymenophore tubular, free, with a notch near the stem. White when young, then grayish cream, grayish brown in mature mushrooms. Pores small, finely rounded.

Stem up to 15 cm tall, 1–2 cm thick, thinner and more elongated than in the classic birch bolete. White, with white or cream scales — in mature mushrooms the scales are sometimes darker. It may be pale greenish at the base.

Stem massive, 10–20 cm tall, 3–5 cm thick, club-shaped in young mushrooms, cylindrical in old ones. White or grayish cream, covered with characteristic dense grayish or brownish fibrous scales — gray to blackish even in young mushrooms.

Flesh white, firm in young mushrooms, becoming very soft and cottony with age. Does NOT change color when cut (or turns slightly pinkish at the stem base). It softens a lot when cooked.

Flesh white, very dense and heavy. When cut, it first turns pinkish, then gray and black, with a violet tint in the cap and upper stem. At the stem base the flesh often turns blue or blue-green. The texture is fibrous and meaty.

Smell faint, pleasantly mushroomy. Taste mild, not bitter.

Smell rich and mushroomy, pleasant. Taste mild, not bitter. The dried mushroom has a strong "earthy" aroma.