Orange birch bolete or Red-capped scaber stalk

The cap is large: 6-20 cm across, hemispherical with an inrolled margin in young mushrooms, becoming convex with age, then flat and spread out. The color is bright orange, brick-yellow, rusty orange, more intense in young mushrooms and paler in old ones. The cap skin is roughly suede-like or slightly fibrous, a little slippery in wet weather. The skin does not peel off; ragged scraps of a leathery "curtain" often hang from the margin.

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.

Tubular hymenophore. The tubes are long (2-3 cm), grayish-white in young mushrooms, grayish-cream with age. They are not attached to the stem (they separate easily from the cap). The spore print is olive-brown. The pores are small and round.

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.

The stem is sturdy: 8-20 cm tall, 1.5-3 cm thick, cylindrical, thickened at the base and narrowing toward the top. Its color ranges from whitish to dirty gray, densely covered with dark gray or blackish scale-like fibers — a hallmark of the genus Leccinum. No ring.

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 thick, white, very firm and meaty in young mushrooms. When cut, it gradually darkens: it may first turn pinkish, then violet-gray, then black, and the stem base often turns bluish — a normal reaction of the species, not a sign of spoilage. It also darkens when cooked. The texture holds its shape well in the pan.

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.

A faint, pleasant mushroomy smell with a hint of fresh forest litter. The taste is mild, delicate, typically mushroomy. No sharp or unpleasant notes.

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.