Aspen Bolete

Aspen Bolete is a common and widespread mushroom. It is found on the ground, widely scattered or in groups, in woods and woodland edges exclusively under aspen trees. It obtains its nutrients from the rootlets of trees (mycorrhizal). It appears in the summer and early fall, August to October.

The cap is hairless or minutely hairy, dry, and bright orange, reddish-orange, orangish-brown, or cinnamon. It is slightly slippery to the touch when wet. When young, in the button stage, it is round to convex and smooth, and there are usually flaps of sterile tissue attached to the margin. The cap spreads out as it ages. Mature caps are 2⅜″ to 6¾″ wide, broadly convex to nearly flat, duller or paler in color, and sometimes pitted.

The stalk is firm, solid, somewhat tough and fibrous, and dry. It is 2⅜″ to 6″ tall and ⅜″ to 1″ thick, sometimes thicker at the base. It is white or whitish and covered by numerous short, rough, projecting scales (scabers). The scabers are whitish or pale at first, becoming reddish-brown to orange as they age, then black at maturity. The base of the stalk turns blue when cut.

The are no gills. There is a sponge-like layer of tubes on the underside of the cap. The tubes and tube openings (pores) are whitish or pale when young, becoming olive-buff to gray or yellowish-buff with age. They do not turn blue when bruised.

The flesh is thick and often soft. It turns bluish-gray or purplish-gray when bruised or cut, but that may take a long time. Most sources state that all mushrooms in the genus Leccinum are safe to eat. Recently, however, Aspen Bolete has been known (or thought) to cause gastrointestinal distress in some individuals.

The spore print is brown to yellowish-brown.

Orange-capped, scaber-stalked mushrooms in North America have often been identified as Red-Capped Scaber Stalk (Leccinum aurantiacum), even in printed guides and on popular mushroom Websites. However, recent DNA analysis suggests that Red-Capped Scaber Stalk is a European species that does not occur in North America. Those orange-capped misidentifications associated with broadleaved trees are most likely Aspen Bolete.

On the ground exclusively under aspen

Summer and early fall

Sources

7, 24, 26, 29, 30, 77.

Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu, 8/19/2025).

Common

This species was first described in 1966 and named after the Italian soccer player Lorenzo Insigne. It means “distinctive or outstanding.”

… seen maybe 3-4 of these smaller ones. They seemed fresher looking and more of a bun shaped rounded top. Nice mushroom.

Not sure if this one's okay, cut and brought home. Animals thought they were tasty!

Minnesota aspen bolete mushroom
jensonmin

Aspen Boletes
jensonmin

Bolete Mushroom (Boletes) Close-up
Carl Barrentine

Dan W. Andree
8/18/2025

Location: MN SNA, Norman Co. Mn.

… seen maybe 3-4 of these smaller ones. They seemed fresher looking and more of a bun shaped rounded top. Nice mushroom.

Location: Cass County

Location: Cass County

Location: Brainerd MN, Crow Wing County

Location: Hubbard County, Akeley MN