Old Man Of The Woods

Description:

Fruit bodies are characterized by very soft dark grey to black pyramidal and overlapping scales on the cap surface. The caps of the fruit bodies are between 1.6 to 3.9 in wide, with a convex shape and a villous, involute margin. The cap surface is covered with dark grey to black erect scales. The stem is up to 5.5 in long and 0.8 in thick. It is coloured like the cap and has a wolly 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.

Habitat:

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

Notes:

Edible