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Brown Birch Bolete

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Brown Birch Bolete

Edible

Edible
Autumn

Autumn
Summer

Summer

This common edible Autumn mushroom is not as firm and tasty as the best boletes, but mixed with other mushrooms it’s not bad. Because it’s a very common mushroom it can really help to bulk your basket and it’s a really easy one for beginners.

Mushroom Type
Common Names Brown Birch Bolete (EN), Cap Tyllog Brown Bedw (CY), Koźlarz Babka (PL), Barna Érdestinóru (HU)
Scientific Name Boletus / Leccinum scabrum
Synonyms Leccinum roseofractum, Leccinum avellanum
Season Start Aug
Season End Nov
Average Mushroom height (CM) 8-13
Average Cap width (CM) 7-10

Mushroom Image

Please note that each and every mushroom you come across may vary in appearance to these photos.

Cap

Cap

7-10 cm. Smooth, starting hemispherical and flattening with age. Varying shades of brown. Sticky when wet.


Pores

Pores

White to white/greyish pores discolouring with age and bruising brown.


Stem

Stem

8-13 cm long, 1.5-3 cm diameter. White to grey with a covering of small dark scales or floccules, giving it a dirty appearance. Tapering towards the top.


Flesh

Flesh

White, unchanging when cut or turning slightly pink but turning black when cooked.


Habitat

Habitat

Under and around Birch trees.


Possible Confusion

Possible Confusion

The Slate Bolete (leccinum duriusculum), pictured, is very similar but grows in association with Poplars not Birch as the Brown Birch Bolete does.
Other Leccinums, there are a few with brown caps which can be hard to distinguish but none of these Leccinums are poisonous.
The orange cap Leccinums are toxic when raw and should be cooked for at least 15 minutes (see Orange Birch Bolete and Orange Oak Bolete).

Spore Print

Brown. Subfusiform.

Taste / Smell

Disappointing. Must be cooked before consumption.

Frequency

Common.

Other Facts

There have been reports from America that some people react badly to Leccinums but these are not confirmed, however it has been suggested that you cook all Leccinums before consumption.

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COMMENTS

9 responses to “Brown Birch Bolete”

  1. Fran avatar
    Fran

    I’ve found what I think are these- they stay white when cut but do bruise blue on the outside of the stem does this mean they’re something else? Thanks

    Reply
    1. Eric Biggane avatar
      Eric Biggane

      Hi Fran, the best thing to do would be to send in photos of the stem and top and underneath of the cap to [email protected] and we’ll see if we can ID them. Eric.

      Reply
    2. Avery avatar
      Avery

      I found what you exactly described a couple of days ago. Did you find out what it is?
      (Here is a possible answer I got online: Leccinum sp, tal vez Leccinum duriusculum)

      Reply
  2. John Kemp avatar
    John Kemp

    You say that these mushrooms should be cooked before consumption. Can they be dried, thereafter hydrated and then cooked, perhaps mixed with Penny Buns? Thank you in advance

    John

    Reply
    1. Poppy Ives avatar
      Poppy Ives

      We would dry them first for storage, then re-hydrate them and cook them.

      Reply
  3. Chris avatar
    Chris

    Hi I have found what I was sure were Penny Buns but then now I feel they are perhaps actually brown birch bolete, I’m quite thrown off by the fact that when cut no flush or change in colour but after around an hour there is cloudy black staining up at the cap whilst the stipe has remained very white apart from a couple of tiny bright blue flecks right at the base of the stipe which also was not a flush but took some time. Any ideas would be really appreciated, thank you 🙂

    Reply
    1. Eric Biggane avatar
      Eric Biggane

      It sounds like one of the brown Lecccinums.

      Reply
  4. GB avatar
    GB

    I’m a little surprised that this guide considers the taste of this fungus disappointing- me and a lot of other people I know do not think so, especially if the fungus is picked young.

    Reply
    1. KAI avatar
      KAI

      I agree. Fried until crispy in butter is quite delicious. Then again…most things fried in butter are tasty 😋 😜

      Reply

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