Leccinum melaneum or Mottled bolete

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.

Cap 5–10 cm, hemispherical in young mushrooms, then cushion-shaped. The surface is dry at first and slightly sticky in damp weather. The color is distinctive — a mouse-gray or dark brown background with scattered elongated light gray, yellowish or cream spots that resemble natural camouflage. The cap skin does not peel off.

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.

The hymenophore is tubular, free, with a notch near the stem. White when young, then beige, light brown in mature mushrooms. The pores are small. They darken slightly when pressed.

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.

Stem 12–18 cm tall, 2–2.5 cm thick, cylindrical or slightly tapering upward. White, with characteristic dark gray or brown fibrous scales — a typical feature of the genus Leccinum. In young mushrooms the scales are lighter, in old ones darker.

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 flesh is white, firm at first, soft and spongy with age. When cut: it turns pink in the cap, slightly blue in the tubes, and in the stem partly pink, partly green or bluish at the base. This multicolored reaction gave the species its name, “variicolor” (many-colored).

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.

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