White-legged Boletus (Leccinum albostipitatum)
Systematics:- Department: Basidiomycota (Basidiomycetes)
- Subdivision: Agaricomycotina (Agaricomycetes)
- Class: Agaricomycetes (Agaricomycetes)
- Subclass: Agaricomycetidae (Agaricomycetes)
- Order: Boletales
- Family: Boletaceae
- Genus: Leccinum (Obabok)
- Species: Leccinum albostipitatum (White-legged Boletus)
Synonyms:
- Leccinum rufum
- Krombholzia aurantiaca subsp. rufa
- Boletus rufus
- Boletus aurantius var. rufus
Description
The cap is 8-25 cm in diameter, at first it is hemispherical, tightly wrapping around the leg, then convex, flat-convex, in old mushrooms it can become cushion-shaped and even flat on top. The skin is dry, pubescent, small villi sometimes stick together and create the illusion of scaly. In young mushrooms, the edge of the cap has a peeling, often torn into flaps, up to 4 mm long skin, which disappears with age. The color is orange, reddish-orange, orange-peach, very noticeable.
The hymenophore is tubular, adherent with a notch around the stem. The tubules are 9-30 mm long, very dense and short in youth, light creamy, yellowish-white, darken to yellowish-gray, brownish with age; the pores are round, small, up to 0.5 mm in diameter, the same color as the tubules. The hymenophore turns brown when damaged.
Stem 5-27 cm long and 1.5-5 cm thick, solid, usually straight, sometimes curved, cylindrical or slightly thickened in the lower part, in the upper quarter, as a rule, noticeably tapering. The surface of the peduncle is white, covered with white scales, darkening to ocher and reddish brown with age. Also, practice shows that the scales, being white, begin to darken rapidly after cutting the mushroom, so the mushroom picker, having typed white-legged beauties in the forest, upon coming home may be very surprised to find boletus boletus with an ordinary motley leg in his basket.
The photo below shows a specimen, on the stem of which the scales have partially darkened and partially retained white color.
The pulp is white, on the cut quite quickly, literally before our eyes, it turns red, then slowly darkens to a gray-purple, almost black color. At the base of the leg may turn blue. Odor and taste are mild.
The spore powder is yellowish.
Spores (9.5) 11.0-17.0 * 4.0-5.0 (5.5) μm, Q = 2.3-3.6 (4.0), on average 2.9-3.1; fusiform, with a conical apex.
Basidia 25-35 * 7.5-11.0 μm, clavate, 2- or 4-spore.
Hymenocysts 20-45 * 7-10 microns, bottle-shaped.
Caulocystids 15-65 * 10-16 microns, club- or fusiform, bottle-shaped, the largest cystidia are usually fusiform, with obtuse apices. There are no buckles.
Ecology and distribution
The species is associated with trees of the genus Populus (poplar). It can often be found on the edges of aspen or mixed with aspen forests. Usually grows singly or in small groups. Fruiting from June to October. According to [1], it is widespread in the Scandinavian countries and mountainous regions of Central Europe, rarely found at low altitudes, and not found in the Netherlands. In general, taking into account the rather wide interpretation of the name Leccinum aurantiacum (red aspen), which includes at least two European species associated with aspen, including the one described in this article, until recently, it can be assumed that the white-legged aspen is widespread in throughout the boreal zone of Eurasia, as well as in some of its mountainous regions.
Edibility
Edible, used boiled, fried, pickled, dried.
Similar species
Red Boletus (Leccinum aurantiacum)
The main difference between the red and white-legged boletus is the color of the scales on the stem and the color of the cap in both fresh and dried fruit bodies. The former usually has brownish-red scales at a young age, while the latter begins life with white scales that darken slightly in older fruiting bodies. However, it should be borne in mind that the leg of the red boletus can also be almost white if it is tightly covered with grass. In this case, it is better to focus on the color of the cap: in the red boletus it is bright red or reddish-brown, when dried it is reddish-brown. The color of the cap of the boletus boletus is, as a rule, bright orange and changes to dull light brown in dried fruit bodies [1].
Yellow-brown boletus (Leccinum versipelle)
It is distinguished by the yellowish-brown color of the cap (which, in fact, can vary in a very wide range: from almost white and pinkish to brown), gray or almost black scales on the stem and gray hymenophore in young fruit bodies. Forms mycorrhiza with birch.
Pine Boletus (Leccinum vulpinum)
It is distinguished by a dark brick-red cap, dark brown, sometimes almost black with a wine tinge scales on the leg and a grayish brown hymenophore in youth. Forms mycorrhiza with pine.Bibliography
1. Bakker HC den, Noordeloos ME A revision of European species of Leccinum Gray and notes on extralimital species. // Persoonia. - 2005. - V. 18 (4). - P. 536-538.
2. Kibby G. Leccinum revisited. A new synoptic key to species. // Field Mycology. - 2006. - V. 7 (4). - P. 77–87.