Xerocomus ferrugineus

Appearance

Cap: 4–9 cm; convex, becoming broadly convex; dry; finely velvety; usually olive brown to reddish brown or yellowish brown, but occasionally entirely olive or nearly green.

Pore Surface: Yellow, becoming olive yellow with maturity; not bruising, or bruising slowly bluish; pores xerocomoid, 1-2 mm wide; tubes to 10 mm deep.

Stem: 3–7 cm long; 1–2 cm thick; equal to slightly club-shaped, with a pinched off base; dry; solid and tough; widely and coarsely ribbed, over the apex or overall; whitish to yellowish or yellow; basal mycelium yellow.

Flesh: Whitish to pale yellowish; not staining when sliced, or turning pinkish in the cap.

Odor and Taste: Not distinctive.

Chemical Reactions: Ammonia flashing blue-green on cap, then resolving to reddish brown; negative on flesh. KOH dark red to black on cap; orangish on flesh. Iron salts negative to gray on cap; negative on flesh.

Spore Print: Olive to olive brown.

Distribution

northern and montane North America; widely distributed in Europe

Habitat

Mycorrhizal with spruces and other conifers--but also occasionally reported under hardwoods (especially those occurring in mixed conifer-hardwood forests)