Old Man of the Woods

Strobilomyces strobilaceus

Deciduous forests: oak, birch and aspen woods. Summer, autumn.

Fruiting bodies large. Cap 5-15 cm across, covered with large grey, greyish-brown or even black scales, fleshy. Tubes greyish-white, when old brownish, up to 3 cm long, turning pinkish when pressed. Stem 8-15x1—3 cm, of uniform thickness, grey, when old blackish-brown or even black, firm, with a ring or only its remnant, fibrous-shaggy. Flesh greyish, turning pinkish when cut or broken, later fading to greyish-blackish. Characteristic features: scaly cap, shaggy stem with a ring. Some sources state that it is inedible. Very rare; so far found only in the forests of Žemaitija National Park. A relict of Lithuania's old-growth forests. Warmth-loving. Protected.