Leccinum holopus    (Rostk.) Watling 

common name(s) : Ghost Bolete 

New classification: Basidiomycota/Agaricomycotina/Agaricomycetes/Agaricomycetidae/Boletales/Boletaceae  
Former classification: Basidiomycota/Homobasidiomycetes/Agaricomycetideae/Boletales/Boletaceae  

synonyms: Boletus holopus, Krombholziella holopus, Krombholziella holopoda, Leccinum scabrum-niveum 
(unconfirmed synonyms: Leccinum niveum, Boletus niveus)  

edibility : edible

photo gallery of  Leccinum holopus
photo gallery of  Leccinum holopus potential confusions with  Leccinum holopus toxicity of Leccinum holopus genus Leccinum  

The cap is whitish, cream to very pale buff, getting greener with time starting from the margin inwards and in wounds, and easily peelable, fleshy, firm and hemispherical at first then spongy and convex. The cap surface is smooth, slightly viscid in wet weather, often wrinkled. The cap margin is clear, thick and slightly overhanging the tubes.

The stem is slender, almost thin, tapering at the top and thickening towards the base. It is full, firm, rough because of the small scales covering it. The stem's surface background colour is whitish (sometimes greenish, especially at the base), the scales on the stem being paler at the top, but darker and russet towards the base and with age. The mycelium at the stem's bottom is whitish..

The flesh is thick, firm at first then quickly very soft, spongy to watery, the stem being fibrous. It is white, in principle unchanging to air but sometimes turning pink or yellow a bit and very slowly in the upper half when in contact with air, becoming however green-blue in the stem base; its taste is faint and mild; the odour is weak and pleasant;

The tubes are free, thin, moderately long (10-14mm). They are white, then greyish when ageing.

The pores are small, round, white or slightly pink, then greyish, turning cinnamon brown when pressed (young) or unchanging. The spore print is cinnamon-ochre.

It grows in broad-leaved woods, on a rather damp soil, essentially with birch (but also other trees).

The fruiting period takes place from July to November.
Dimensions: width of cap approximately 6 cm (between 3 and 12 cm)
  height of stem approximately 12 cm (between 5 and 20 cm)
  thickness of stem (at largest section) approximately 14 mm (between 7 and 30 mm)
  spores : 12-20 x 5-6 microns, almost spindle-shaped

Chemical tests : no reaction of flesh (or slowly turning pink) to iodine or ammonia, faint yellow reaction to potash, greyish reaction to iron sulphate.

Distinctive features : whitish or greenish colour; very long and slim stem, tough, covered with small scales; white pores turning grey when pressed; unchanging flesh or turning pink very slowly when exposed to air, the stem base tuning blue; mostly with birch

Leccinum holopus is quite rare and localised in the forest of Rambouillet, and is quite rare, more generally speaking .
here should be the distribution map of Leccinum holopus in the forest of Rambouillet
Above : distribution map of Leccinum holopus in the forest of Rambouillet



page updated on 14/01/18