Mushrooms

Wrinkled-cap scaber stalk

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Leccinellum rugosiceps is a bolete of oak woodland across the Americas and parts of Asia, recorded as an edible wild mushroom whose quality reviewers rate variously and whose identification needs care.

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Two whole ochre-capped mushrooms and two lengthwise halves show wrinkled caps, granular pale stems, yellowish pores and cream flesh against a warm ivory background.

What it is

Leccinellum rugosiceps is a bolete with a wrinkled cap that is convex and orange-yellow when young and becomes wrinkled and cracked with age. Charles Horton Peck first described it in 1904 as Boletus rugosiceps, from woods at Port Jefferson, New York. Rolf Singer moved it to Leccinum in 1945, and it is now placed in Leccinellum, with the current name credited to C. Hahn (2020).

The catalogue gives the names Wrinkled-cap scaber stalk and Leccinum rugosiceps as search aliases. Earlier generic names, including Krombholzia and Krombholziella, are obsolete.

Habitat and distribution

The species forms ectomycorrhizal partnerships with oaks. It grows singly or in groups in forests and shaded lawns, often in disturbed places such as pathsides and picnic areas. In eastern North America pin oak, Quercus palustris, is a frequent host. Fruiting is recorded from July to September.

In the United States it occurs from eastern Canada south to Florida and Mississippi and west to Michigan. It extends south to Mexico, Costa Rica and Colombia, and in Asia it has been reported from India, Korea, China and Taiwan. The catalogue gives Mexico as its regional food record.

Food use

The species is considered edible, though opinions on its quality vary from good to poor. It has a nutty flavour and a firm texture, and drying is recorded as enhancing the flavour. The stem often harbours insect larvae and should be cleaned before cooking.

A Chinese study found cadmium, zinc, copper and mercury above national safety limits for edible fungi in this species. That finding is a reason for caution about where the mushroom is gathered, and it should be weighed in any food use.

Identification

The cap changes colour a great deal as it develops, which makes field identification difficult. The flesh stains reddish to burgundy when cut and then turns grey to blackish over 20 to 60 minutes. Leccinellum crocipodium is a difficult look-alike, and Leccinum neotropicalis is a closely allied species. The encyclopedia entry notes that chemical tests with ammonium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide and iron(II) sulfate can help confirm identification.

This page is not an identification guide. Anyone gathering the mushroom should confirm identity with an expert before eating it.

Places

United States

Documented use · Region evidence

Range from eastern Canada south to Florida and Mississippi, west to Michigan.

See United Stateson the map Location source 1 →

Mexico

Documented use · Country evidence

Regional food-use record in the supplied catalogue; the sources do not name a locality.

See Mexicoon the map Location source 1 →