Slate bolete or Orange oak bolete

The cap of the slate bolete reaches 5 to 15 centimeters across. When young it is hemispherical, becoming convex and cushion-shaped with age. The surface is smooth, dry or slightly slimy in rain, matte, often finely wrinkled in young mushrooms. The color is gray-brown, clay-brown or brownish-gray, sometimes with a faint violet tinge. The cap skin overhangs the margin slightly.

Cap 5–15 cm, hemispherical in young mushrooms, then cushion-shaped. The color is brick-red, blood-brick, darkening with age to brownish red. The surface is matte and velvety, slightly sticky in wet weather. The skin does not peel and overhangs the cap margin as a thin "fringe".

The hymenophore is tubular. The tubes are long, with small round pores, dirty white or grayish in young mushrooms, turning gray-brown with age. When pressed, the pores may slowly darken. The hymenophore separates easily from the cap flesh, as is typical of boletes. The spore print is olive-brown.

The hymenophore is tubular, free, notched at the stem. White when young, then grayish cream, grayish brown in mature ones. The pores are small and round. They darken quickly when pressed.

The stem is tall, dense and firm, 6 to 15 centimeters tall, whitish or grayish-white, covered along its whole length with characteristic dark — gray-brown to black — scales that form a granular, net-like pattern. At the base, the cut stem flesh often takes on a bluish-greenish tint. There is no volva and no ring. The firm, dense stem sets this species apart from the softer Leccinum species.

Stem 10–18 cm tall, 2–4 cm thick, cylindrical, slightly bulbous at the base. The color is whitish, covered with characteristic dense brown fibrous scales — especially rich in the lower part. The base may have a bluish-green or reddish-brown tint.

The flesh is white, dense and firm, especially in young mushrooms, just as the name suggests. When cut it characteristically changes color: first turning pinkish or brownish, then gray and black; at the base of the stem it may turn green. The taste is mild and pleasant, with no bitterness. Thanks to its firm texture, the mushroom holds its shape well during cooking.

The flesh is white and very firm. When cut it darkens to violet-grey, grey or blackish; the stem base often turns blue-green. The texture is meaty, like the classic red-capped scaber stalk. It gets wormy less readily than the classic one.

The smell is faint, pleasant, typically mushroomy, with no sharp notes. The aroma is not a defining feature, so identification relies on the brown cap, the firm scaly stem, the color change of the cut flesh and the association with poplar or aspen.

The smell is richly mushroomy and pleasant. The taste is mild and delicate, with a note of forest litter.