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Old Man of the Woods
(Strobilomyces floccopus) |
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 Old Man of the Woods sculpture, acrylic paints |
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This perfectly-named bolete has a spectacular convex to flattened cap 1-5/8 to 6 inches across covered with coarse, shaggy, black and grey, warty scales. The whitish flesh slowly bruises pink-orange, then gray. The tubes, pores, and stalk have the same color as the cap, and go through the same changes. |
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Old Man of the Woods, split lengthwise Note the orangish stain that appears gradually after you injure the mushroom. |
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The spore print is black. The scruffy stalk is 2 to 4-3/4 inches long, 5/8 to 1 inch thick. A grayish, membranous veil or skirt covers the pores when they're very young. Its remnants may adorn the mature cap's margin, or wrap the stalk in evanescent rings, or ring zones. |
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Old Man of the Woods The bumpy cap makes this mushroom easy to recognize even from a distance. |
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Look for it from mid-summer to fall under hardwoods or conifers in the eastern half of North America.
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Unfortunately, this nonpoisonous mushroom tastes bad when it's young, and gets even worse later on.
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