Old man of the woods

Strobilomyces strobilaceus

''Strobilomyces strobilaceus'', also called ''Strobilomyces floccopus'' and commonly known as old man of the woods, is a species of fungus in the family Boletaceae. It is native to Europe and North America. Fruit bodies are characterized by very soft dark grey to black pyramidal and overlapping scales on the cap surface.
Old Man of the Woods Super cool mushroom with a shaggy white and gray cap. Stipe was covered in wooly scales. The pores bruised when marked. If mushrooms could be old men, this probably really is what they would look like. Geotagged,Old Man of the Woods,Old man of the woods,Strobilomyces,Strobilomyces strobilaceus,Summer,United States,fungus,mushroom

Appearance

The caps of the fruit bodies are between 4 to 10 cm wide, with a convex shape and a villous, involute margin. The cap surface is covered with dark grey to black erect scales. The stipe is up to 14 cm long and 2 cm thick. It is coloured like the cap and has a woolly surface and a thick, ascending annulus. The pores on the underside of the cap are hexagonal, coloured dirty white or grey. The flesh is thick and initially white, but will stain pink and then slate grey and black after exposure to the air.

The dark brown to black spores are 9–15 by 8–12 μm, short elliptic and are covered with a mesh-like ornament.
Old Man of the Woods - Strobilomyces floccopus This mushroom had a fantastic cap - it was bright white, soft, and was covered in brown-tipped tufts. Pores were dingy gray-brown. Stipe was gray and shaggy. Habitat: Growing out from under rotting wood in a mixed forest with lots of oak. Geotagged,Old man of the woods,Strobilomyces strobilaceus,Summer,United States,fungus,mushroom,old man of the woods,strobilomyces

Naming

''Strobilomyces strobilaceus'' is classified in the section ''Strobilomyces'' of the genus ''Strobilomyces''. Species in this section are characterized by having spores that may be either smooth or with short spines or warts, ridges or reticulations. The ornamentation is reduced or absent in the suprahilar region—a depressed area near the hilar appendage.

It was first described scientifically by the Italian naturalist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in 1770 as a species of ''Boletus''.''Strobilomyces confusus'' has a slightly smaller cap with smaller and stiff scales. Its spores have irregular ridges that resemble a partial mesh. The cap of ''Strobilomyces dryophilus'' is coloured a dull grey pink to pinkish tan and produces spores with a complete mesh.
Old Man of the Woods Geotagged,Old Man of the Woods,Old man of the woods,Strobilomyces strobilaceus,Summer,United States

Distribution

''Strobilomyces strobilaceus'' is found solitary or in groups in deciduous as well as coniferous forests in low mountain ranges and alpine areas of Europe, North America and Asia . It is less common in lowlands. The fungus appears between August and October and young specimens are edible.
Old Man of the Woods - Strobilomyces floccopus/strobilaceus Cap had large, brownish, flat, wooly scales on a grayish base. The pore surface was gray and bruised black. The stipe was similar to the cap in texture and color. Habitat: Growing on the ground in a mixed forest. **This genus is undergoing revision in North America, thus all species level IDs are tentative. Geotagged,Old Man of the Woods,Strobilomyces,Strobilomyces floccopus,Strobilomyces strobilaceus,Summer,United States,fungus,mushroom

Habitat

''Strobilomyces strobilaceus'' is found solitary or in groups in deciduous as well as coniferous forests in low mountain ranges and alpine areas of Europe, North America and Asia . It is less common in lowlands. The fungus appears between August and October and young specimens are edible.

References:

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Taxonomy
KingdomFungi
DivisionBasidiomycota
ClassAgaricomycetes
OrderBoletales
FamilyBoletaceae
GenusStrobilomyces
SpeciesS. strobilaceus
Photographed in
Malaysia
United States of America