Larch bolete or Rosy spike

Cap 4–10 cm (sometimes up to 15), hemispherical in young mushrooms, then cushion-shaped, almost flat in old ones. Color bright yellow, lemon-yellow, golden-orange, less often rusty brown. The surface is very sticky and shiny — in wet weather it looks literally lacquered. The skin peels off easily and often stretches into strips.

Cap 2-6 cm across; hemispherical with an inrolled margin when young, later convex to flat with a shallow central depression. Color bright pink, coral-pink, salmon-pink: distinctive and unmatched among the spikes. In old mushrooms it fades to pale pink or ochre-pink. Surface very slimy, sticky; the skin peels off easily.

Tubes adnate to the stem at first, then notched. Yellowish when young, later grayish- or olive-yellow. Pores small and angular. When pressed they turn pinkish, then brown — a characteristic reaction. In young mushrooms they are covered by a yellowish membranous veil.

Gilled hymenophore; gills decurrent, distant, waxy, thick. In young mushrooms whitish, later darkening to gray-black, almost black because of the dark spore print. Spore print dark brown to black. Decurrent gills plus darkening are the diagnostic features of the genus Gomphidius.

Stem 4–12 cm tall, 1–3 cm thick, cylindrical or slightly widening toward the base. Yellow above, brownish below the ring, with small rusty dots. The ring is white or yellowish, membranous, and breaks down quickly — in mature mushrooms it’s often gone or only a narrow band remains.

Stem 3-7 cm tall, 0.8-1.5 cm thick, cylindrical, thinner and shorter than in other spikes. Color whitish to pale pink at the top, more intensely pink lower down. A ring zone from the veil in the upper part, faint. The stem base often has whitish mycelium.

Flesh yellow, soft, watery in mature mushrooms. When cut it turns slightly pinkish in the cap, and sometimes a bit greenish in the stem. The texture is slimy-fibrous.

Flesh thin, whitish to pale pink, soft. When cut it turns slightly wine-pink. Smell faint, pleasantly mushroomy.

Smell faint, mushroomy, with a barely noticeable resinous note. Taste mild, not bitter.

Faint, pleasantly mushroomy, with no distinctive notes.