How to identify Orange Birch Bolete

To correctly identify Orange Birch Bolete (Leccinum versipelle), 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 in) in diameter, though can reach 20 cm (8 in). It is convex when young, becoming flatter with age. The cap surface is dry and smooth, and ranges in color from orange to reddish-orange. The flesh is white, but turns greyish-purple when cut.

2. 2

   Gills

   Attachment to stem, color, and spacing.

   This mushroom has pores instead of gills. The pores are small and round, and white when young, becoming greyish with age. The pore surface is easily separable from the flesh of the cap.

3. 3

   Stem

   Length, shape, surface, and any ring.

   The stem is 8–20 cm (3–8 in) long and 1–3 cm (0.4–1.2 in) thick. It is stout and cylindrical, tapering slightly towards the apex. The stem surface is covered in small, rough scales (scabers) that are initially whitish, but become darker with age, eventually turning blackish-brown. The stem flesh is whitish, but like the cap flesh, it turns greyish-purple when cut.

4. 4

   Flesh

   Color, texture, and bruising reaction.

   The flesh is white, but turns greyish-purple when cut, eventually becoming almost black.

5. 5

   Fruiting body

   Overall growth pattern.

   The fruit body of Leccinum versipelle is a bolete, meaning it has a cap and stem and a pore surface instead of gills.

6. 6

   Habitat

   Where it grows and on what substrate.

   Leccinum versipelle is found in deciduous and coniferous forests, often in association with birch trees (Betula species). It fruits from summer to autumn.

Key Facts

Cap surfaces

Dry and smooth

Growth Form

Solitary or in small groups

Spore Print

Brown

Body color

Orange to reddish-orange cap, whitish stem with dark scabers

Odor

Mild and mushroomy

Flesh bruises

Turns greyish-purple, then blackish

Height

8–20 cm (3–8 in)

Cap Diameter

5–15 cm (2–6 in)

Fruit body characteristics

• Gill attachment: Pores instead of gills
• Stem shape: Cylindrical, tapering slightly towards the apex
• Stem surface: Covered in rough scales (scabers)
• Ring: Absent
• Stem cross-section: Solid

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