How to identify White Birch Bolete

To correctly identify White Birch Bolete (Leccinum percandidum), check each of these features in order. Misidentification is the most common cause of mushroom poisoning, so cross-reference multiple sources.

Step-by-step identification

1. 1

   Cap

   Shape, color, surface texture, and diameter.

   The cap is typically 5-15 cm (2-6 inches) in diameter, convex to broadly convex, becoming flatter with age. The color is distinctly pale, ranging from off-white to cream, sometimes with very faint yellowish or grayish tints, especially in older specimens. The surface is dry, smooth, and often slightly velvety or finely tomentose when young, becoming glabrous with age. The margin is usually entire and can be slightly incurved when young.

2. 2

   Gills

   Attachment to stem, color, and spacing.

   Leccinum percandidum has pores, not gills. The pore surface is initially white to cream, becoming yellowish-brown with age. The pores are small and circular. The tubes are concolorous with the pore surface, 1-2 cm (0.4-0.8 inches) deep, and depressed around the stem.

3. 3

   Stem

   Length, shape, surface, and any ring.

   The stem is 8-20 cm (3-8 inches) long and 1.5-4 cm (0.6-1.6 inches) thick, typically stout and club-shaped or tapering slightly towards the cap, often swollen at the base. It is solid and firm. The color is white to off-white, often concolorous with the cap. It is covered with fine, white to pale grayish-white scabers (small, rough scales or dots) that darken slightly with age, especially towards the base. These scabers are a key identifying feature for Leccinum species.

4. 4

   Flesh

   Color, texture, and bruising reaction.

   The flesh is thick, firm, and white, often remaining white when cut, though it may show a very faint pinkish or grayish tinge in some areas, particularly in the stem base, after exposure to air. It has a mild, pleasant taste and a faint, mushroomy odor.

5. 5

   Fruiting body

   Overall growth pattern.

   The fruiting body is a typical bolete shape, consisting of a cap, pores (instead of gills), and a central stem.

6. 6

   Habitat

   Where it grows and on what substrate.

   Leccinum percandidum is a mycorrhizal fungus, forming a symbiotic relationship exclusively with birch trees (Betula species). It is typically found growing solitarily or in scattered groups on the ground in deciduous or mixed forests where birch trees are present.

Key Facts

Cap surfaces

Dry, smooth, finely tomentose to glabrous

Growth Form

Solitary to scattered

Spore Print

Olive-brown to yellowish-brown

Body color

White to cream, pale off-white

Odor

Mild

Flesh bruises

Typically remains white, sometimes very faint pinkish or grayish tinge in stem base

Height

8-20 cm (3-8 inches)

Cap Diameter

5-15 cm (2-6 inches)

Fruit body characteristics

• Gill attachment: Pores, not gills; adnexed to depressed around stem
• Stem shape: Cylindrical, club-shaped, or tapering towards cap, often swollen at base
• Stem surface: White to pale grayish-white scabers (small, rough scales) on a white background
• Ring: Absent
• Stem cross-section: Solid

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