Mottled bolete or Red-capped scaber stalk

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.

Cap 6–20 cm across, spherical in young mushrooms, then cushion-shaped. The surface is finely felted or slightly leathery, dry. The color is vivid — brick-red, orange or ginger; in shady spots it may be duller.

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 hymenophore has tubes. Pores small, round, white at first, then turning brownish. When pressed, the pores turn brownish — this is a normal reaction and does not indicate danger.

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.

Stem 8–20 cm tall, 2–4 cm thick, firm, club-shaped at the bottom, cylindrical in the upper part. The surface is white, covered with scales and fibres: reddish, sometimes whitish, in young mushrooms, turning red-brown to blackish with age. The stem base often shows a blue tint, especially where it has been handled. The stem is very hard, almost woody in mature mushrooms.

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).

Flesh firm, white; when cut it darkens to violet-grey, grey and eventually almost black; only the stem base often turns blue-green. The darkening also happens during cooking. The taste is pleasant, meaty. In mature mushrooms the stem is very fibrous.

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

Smell faint, pleasant, mushroomy, slightly earthy. When fried, the aroma becomes richer and more appetizing. Compared with porcini, the red-capped scaber stalk's smell is less pronounced, but quite pleasant.