Leccinum scabrum, commonly known as Brown Birch Bolete, is a medium to large bolete mushroom. It features a fleshy cap that ranges in colour from greyish-brown to yellowish-brown. The stem is white to grey and covered with grey-black scales. This species is typically found growing in association with birch trees, often in damp ground conditions. It fruits from June to October.

Cap brown, with reddish or greyish tinges. It starts off finely downy and gradually becomes smooth, though it may develop a somewhat scurfy texture as it ages. The flesh is initially dirty white and remains unchanged in colour. In young specimens, it is thick and firm, but it quickly becomes spongy and tends to retain water, especially during rainy weather. Pores dirty white or greyish brown, circular, small. Tubes same colour as pores, adnate. Stem whitish, covered with grey-brown scales, more or less equal or tapering slightly upwards. The stem has no ring. Spore print ocher-brown.

Microscopic Features: The spores are narrowly ellipsoid to subfusiform in shape, measuring approximately 14-20 x 4.5-5.5 µm. They have thin walls and contain vacuole inclusions.

Leccinum scabrum on the www.first-nature.com web site.