Leccinum aurantiacum
Encyclopedia
Leccinum aurantiacum, is a species of fungus in the genus Leccinum
. It is found in forests of Europe
, North America
and Asia
and has a large, characteristically red-capped fruiting body
. In North America, it is sometimes referred to by the common name red-capped scaber stalk. There are some uncertainties regarding the taxonomic classification of this species in Europe as well as in North America. It is considered edible.
is orange-red and measures up to 8 in (20 cm) across. Its flesh
is white, bruising at first burgundy, then grayish or purple-black. The underside of the cap has very small whitish pores
that bruise olive-brown. The stem
measures 4-7 in (10-18 cm) tall and to a ¾-1¼ in (2-3 cm) thick and can bruise blue-green. It is whitish, with short, rigid projections or scabers that turn to brown to black with age.
l.
In Europe, Leccinum aurantiacum has been traditionally known to be associated with poplar
s (Populus). There exists some debate about the classification of L. aurantiacum and L. quercinum
as separate species. According to authors who do not recognise the distinction, L. aurantiacum is also found with oak
(Quercus). Additionally, L. aurantiacum has been recorded with various other deciduous
trees including beech
(Fagus), birch
(Betula), chestnut
(Castanea), willow
(Salix), and Tilia
. L. aurantiacum is not known to associate with conifers in Europe.
North American populations have been recorded in coniferous as well as deciduous
forests, though it remains uncertain whether collections from coniferous forests are not L. vulpinum instead. In addition, L. aurantiacum may be absent altogether from North America, with collections from deciduous forests being attributed to other North American species L. insigne, and L. brunneum.
s. Its flesh turns very dark on cooking. Like most members of the Boletaceae, these mushrooms are popular with maggot
s. See reference below. Due to a number of poisonings and the difficulty identifying species, Leccinum may not be considered safe to eat. This species also needs to be cooked well (not parboiled) or else it may cause vomiting or other negative effects. It is commonly believed that this species can cause problems with digestion if not cooked properly. Portable kitchens and other simple solutions are therefore not recommended for cooking.
grows with oak
(Quercus) and other broad-leaved trees and bears red-brown stem scabers. In coniferous forests, L. vulpinum occurs with pine
(Pinus), and L. piceinum with spruce
(Picea). Not all authors recognise these as distinct species.
In North America, L. insigne grows in aspen or birch stands, while L. atrostipitatum grows in birch stands. Both are edible.
Leccinum
Leccinum is a genus of fungi in the family Boletaceae. It was the name given first to a series of fungi within the genus Boletus, then erected as a new genus last century. Their main distinguishing feature is the small, rigid projections that give a rough texture to their stalks...
. It is found in forests of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and has a large, characteristically red-capped fruiting body
Basidiocarp
In fungi, a basidiocarp, basidiome or basidioma , is the sporocarp of a basidiomycete, the multicellular structure on which the spore-producing hymenium is borne. Basidiocarps are characteristic of the hymenomycetes; rusts and smuts do not produce such structures...
. In North America, it is sometimes referred to by the common name red-capped scaber stalk. There are some uncertainties regarding the taxonomic classification of this species in Europe as well as in North America. It is considered edible.
Description
The capPileus (mycology)
The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...
is orange-red and measures up to 8 in (20 cm) across. Its flesh
Trama (mycology)
In mycology trama is a term for the inner, fleshy portion of a mushroom's basidiocarp, or fruit body. It is distinct from the outer layer of tissue, known as the pileipellis or cuticle, and from the spore-bearing tissue layer known as the hymenium....
is white, bruising at first burgundy, then grayish or purple-black. The underside of the cap has very small whitish pores
Hymenium
The hymenium is the tissue layer on the hymenophore of a fungal fruiting body where the cells develop into basidia or asci, which produce spores. In some species all of the cells of the hymenium develop into basidia or asci, while in others some cells develop into sterile cells called cystidia or...
that bruise olive-brown. The stem
Stipe (mycology)
thumb|150px|right|Diagram of a [[basidiomycete]] stipe with an [[annulus |annulus]] and [[volva |volva]]In mycology a stipe refers to the stem or stalk-like feature supporting the cap of a mushroom. Like all tissues of the mushroom other than the hymenium, the stipe is composed of sterile hyphal...
measures 4-7 in (10-18 cm) tall and to a ¾-1¼ in (2-3 cm) thick and can bruise blue-green. It is whitish, with short, rigid projections or scabers that turn to brown to black with age.
Distribution and habitat
Leccinum aurantiacum can be found fruiting during summer and autumn in forests throughout Europe and North America. The association between fungus and host tree is mycorrhizaMycorrhiza
A mycorrhiza is a symbiotic association between a fungus and the roots of a vascular plant....
l.
In Europe, Leccinum aurantiacum has been traditionally known to be associated with poplar
Poplar
Populus is a genus of 25–35 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar , aspen, and cottonwood....
s (Populus). There exists some debate about the classification of L. aurantiacum and L. quercinum
Leccinum quercinum
Leccinum quercinum is a rare, edible mushroom in the genus Leccinum. It is found below oak.-Description:The cap is hemispherical when young, later convex. It is usually greyish brown to orange brown. It can also have orange-red to apricot yellow shades, and grows up to 25 cm in diameter...
as separate species. According to authors who do not recognise the distinction, L. aurantiacum is also found with oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
(Quercus). Additionally, L. aurantiacum has been recorded with various other deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
trees including beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
(Fagus), birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
(Betula), chestnut
Chestnut
Chestnut , some species called chinkapin or chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.-Species:The chestnut belongs to the...
(Castanea), willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
(Salix), and Tilia
Tilia
Tilia is a genus of about 30 species of trees native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The greatest species diversity is found in Asia, and the genus also occurs in Europe and eastern North America, but not western North America...
. L. aurantiacum is not known to associate with conifers in Europe.
North American populations have been recorded in coniferous as well as deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
forests, though it remains uncertain whether collections from coniferous forests are not L. vulpinum instead. In addition, L. aurantiacum may be absent altogether from North America, with collections from deciduous forests being attributed to other North American species L. insigne, and L. brunneum.
Use
This is a favorite species for eating and can be prepared as other edible boleteBolete
A bolete is a type of fungal fruiting body characterized by the presence of a pileus that is clearly differentiated from the stipe, with a spongy surface of pores on the underside of the pileus...
s. Its flesh turns very dark on cooking. Like most members of the Boletaceae, these mushrooms are popular with maggot
Maggot
In everyday speech the word maggot means the larva of a fly ; it is applied in particular to the larvae of Brachyceran flies, such as houseflies, cheese flies, and blowflies, rather than larvae of the Nematocera, such as mosquitoes and Crane flies...
s. See reference below. Due to a number of poisonings and the difficulty identifying species, Leccinum may not be considered safe to eat. This species also needs to be cooked well (not parboiled) or else it may cause vomiting or other negative effects. It is commonly believed that this species can cause problems with digestion if not cooked properly. Portable kitchens and other simple solutions are therefore not recommended for cooking.
Similar species
In Europe, several orange-red capped species exist, which differ mainly in habitat. L. quercinumLeccinum quercinum
Leccinum quercinum is a rare, edible mushroom in the genus Leccinum. It is found below oak.-Description:The cap is hemispherical when young, later convex. It is usually greyish brown to orange brown. It can also have orange-red to apricot yellow shades, and grows up to 25 cm in diameter...
grows with oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
(Quercus) and other broad-leaved trees and bears red-brown stem scabers. In coniferous forests, L. vulpinum occurs with pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
(Pinus), and L. piceinum with spruce
Spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
(Picea). Not all authors recognise these as distinct species.
In North America, L. insigne grows in aspen or birch stands, while L. atrostipitatum grows in birch stands. Both are edible.
External links
- Leccinum aurantiacum at MushroomExpert.com
- Leccinum aurantiacum at MykoWeb
- Leccinum aurantiacum Leccinum Species May No Longer Be Considered Safe