Penny Bun / Porcini vs Birch Bolete
Boletus edulis and Leccinum scabrum are confused for one another often enough to be worth putting next to each other.
The king bolete. White pore surface ageing yellow-olive, fat stem with a fine white net, no bitterness.
Dark scabers on a pale stem, always near birch. Soft when cooked but a reliable, safe bolete.
Side by side
| Boletus edulis | Leccinum scabrum | |
|---|---|---|
| In this game | Edible | Edible |
| Habitat | Mycorrhizal with beech, oak, birch, spruce and pine, in woods and their edges. | Only with birch, in woods, heath and gardens. |
| Season | Summer to late autumn. | Summer to autumn. |
| Spore print | Olive-brown. | Pale ochre-brown. |
The recorded spore prints differ: olive-brown for Boletus edulis, pale ochre-brown for Leccinum scabrum. That is one documented difference, not a test you can pass.
This comparison cannot make a mushroom safe to eat. It sets out the few characteristics this game records, in general terms, for two species that vary by region, age and growing conditions. Real specimens overlap in ways no table and no photograph can separate, and the deadly one here is deadly in a single meal. Ask a qualified local expert, every time.
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Boletus edulis is also confused with Devil's Bolete, Pine Bolete and Bay Bolete.
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