Larch bolete or Slimy 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 4-10 cm across; hemispherical with an inrolled margin when young, later convex to flat with a shallow central depression. Color dark gray-brown, chocolate brown, almost black in wet weather; fading with age to brownish violet with darker spots. Surface very slimy, sticky; the skin peels off easily. Old mushrooms often have dark violet-black spots on the cap.

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, widely spaced (distant), thick, waxy. 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 4-9 cm tall, 1-2 cm thick, cylindrical, thick, fleshy, narrowed at the bottom. Color whitish at the top, with a characteristic bright yellow or lemon-yellow tint at the base: the key diagnostic feature of the species. Above the ring zone (the remains of the veil) it is whitish; below, with fine grayish fibers. A ring zone from a white slimy veil in the upper part, stronger in young mushrooms, indistinct in old ones.

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 fleshy, white in the cap, yellowish to yellow in the lower stem. When cut it turns slightly wine-pink in the stem. Smell faint, pleasantly mushroomy with a nutty note. Taste mild, not pronounced.

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

Faint, pleasantly mushroomy with a slight nutty or fruity note.