Strobilomyces dryophilus (“Old Man of the Woods”)

Cap has grayish pink or darker scales on white base. White flesh stains orange/pink before slowly darkening. Lighter, shaggy stem is often stringy & useless. Likes oak.

SKU: Strobilomyces floccopus Categories: 1. Found in Alabama, 1. Found in Northern Illinois, 2. Found in Florida, 3. Found in Louisiana, 3. Found on Long Island (New York), 4. Found in Mississippi, 4. Found in Ohio, 4. Found in Pennsylvania, 4a. Found in S.W. Pennsylvania, 5. Found in North Carolina, 5. Found in W. Va. or the Central Appalachians, 6. Found in Eastern Texas, CAP COLOR FILTERS, CAP FLESH COLOR FILTERS, Cap Flesh is White, CAP FLESH STAINING FILTERS, Cap Flesh Stains a Color Other than Blue, CAP SIZE FILTERS, CAP TASTE FILTERS, CAP TEXTURE FILTERS, Cap Texture is: 5- Spiky or Scaly, Deciduous (Leafy) Trees, Edibility: 4- Good, FILTER SET #1: REGION, FILTER SET #2: CAP FEATURES, FILTER SET #3: PORE FEATURES, FILTER SET #4: STEM FEATURES, FILTER SET #5: CAP FLESH (CONTEXT) FEATURES, FILTER SET #6: SPORE PRINT, FILTER SET #7: HABITAT FILTERS, FILTER SET #8: EDIBILITY, My Mushroom is Mature & Its Pores are Huge, My Mushroom is Mature & Its Pores are Tiny, My Mushroom's Cap is >0.1" Across, My Mushroom's Cap is >4” Across, My Mushroom's Cap is >6” Across, PORE COLOR FILTERS, PORE SIZE FILTERS, PORE STAINING FILTERS, Pores Do Not Stain within 30 seconds, Pores Stain Other than Blue, Primary Cap Color is: 1- White, Buff, or Light Gray, Primary Cap Color is: 4- Some Shade of Brown, Primary Cap Color is: 5- Black, Dark Brown, or Dark Gray, Primary Pore Color is: 1- White, Buff, or Light Gray, Primary Pore Color is: 5 - Black, Dark Brown, or Dark Gray, Primary Stem Color is: 1- White, Buff, or Light Gray, Primary Stem Color is: 5- Black, Dark Brown, or Dark Gray, Spore Print is 4- Plain Old Brown, STEM COLOR FILTERS, STEM DECORATION/ TEXTURE FILTERS, Stem Is Thin & Stringy, Stem: 3- Has a Ring (Annulus), Stem: 4- Has Ridges, Stem: 5- Is Netted (Reticulated), Stem: 6- Has Scabers/Scales, ZONE 1- the NORTHEAST, ZONE 2- the MIDWEST, ZONE 5 - the SOUTH

Description
Discussions

Description

Genus: Strobilomyces

Species: dryophilus

Common Name: Old Man of the Woods

Tells: Cap has grayish pink or darker scales on white base. White flesh stains orange/pink before slowly darkening. Lighter, shaggy stem is often stringy & useless. Likes oak.

Other Information: Spore print edges toward black. When cooked, will stain a pot of food dark or black. You pretty much need chemical or microscopic tests to tell the three types of Old Man apart and it makes no difference from a practical point of view. The rules of thumb are these:

dryophilus tends to have a lighter stem & scales that are grayish pink instead of grayish black;
confusus tends to have stiffer & pointer scales; and
strobilaceus is the most common & often has a distinct ring zone on the stem.

Edibility: Good, but will stain a pot of food dark or black when cooked.

CHEMICAL TESTS:

NH4OH (Ammonia): Cap skin turns brown.
KOH: Cap skin turns dark reddish brown.
FeSO4 (Iron Salts): Cap skin turns brown.

Links:

National Audubon Society Field guide to Mushrooms, Gary Lincoff

580

Mushrooms of West Virginia and the Central Appalachians

308

North American Boletes

225

BENA

307

Got something to discuss?

Please insert the code above to comment

Notify of new replies to this comment