Pinking boletus: description and similarity with other mushrooms
The pinking boletus is a representative of the genus Leccinum, the Boletaceae family.
The Latin name for the mushroom is Leccinum roseafractum.
There are also Russian synonyms: multi-colored birch, oxidizing birch and motley birch.
Description of the pinking boletus
The cap is up to 15 cm in diameter. Its shape is convex. The hat is covered with dry skin of dark colors - from grayish-brown to almost black, while a lighter marble pattern is expressed.
The flesh is quite dense, white in color, on the cut it acquires a pink tint. The tubular layer is whitish in young mushrooms, and dirty gray in old ones. Spore powder of ocher-brown color.
The leg is thin, elongated, and thickened below. Sometimes the legs are bent towards the lighting. The color of the legs is white, but at the same time it is covered with black-brown scales.
The similarity of the pinking boletus with other species
The common birch is outwardly similar to the pinking boletus. But the latter is distinguished by the "marble" coloring of the hat. Brown areas are mixed with white. The flesh of the boletus that turns pink at the break begins to become pink.
Places of growth of pinking boletus
These mushrooms grow in damp northern forests in the highlands and in the tundra, adjacent to various types of tree and shrub birches. Pinking boletus are known in the northern part of Western Europe. 
The use of pinking boletus in food
In our country, these mushrooms are usually harvested on a par with common birches. These edible mushrooms in terms of taste belong to the 2nd category. They are suitable for eating in any form - they can be dried and even eaten fresh.
Other mushrooms of this genus
White boletus or marsh boletus, as the name implies, is distinguished by a whitish hat with a cream or pinkish tint. In youth, the shape of the cap is cushion-shaped, but becomes prostrate with time. The cap diameter is 3-8 cm. The pulp is tender, white in color, without much taste and smell. The height of the stem reaches 7-10 centimeters, and the thickness is 0.8-1.5 centimeters, at the cap it becomes narrower. The color of the legs is white, with white scales.
There are white boletus from July to October. They grow in deciduous and mixed forests. They form mycorrhiza mainly with birches. They prefer damp places and swamps. They are extremely rare, do not differ in productivity. White boletus are edible mushrooms, but they are watery and inconspicuous.
The birch boletus is multi-colored or the multi-colored boletus has a characteristic gray-white mouse-colored hat, with peculiar strokes. The diameter of the cap is 7-12 centimeters. The shape of the cap varies from hemispherical to slightly convex. The flesh is white, slightly pinkish on the cut, with a pleasant faint aroma.
The leg is 10-15 centimeters long and 2-3 centimeters thick. From top to bottom, the leg thickens somewhat. The leg is white, but densely covered with dark brown or black scales. If the stem is cut off at the base, it acquires a faint blue tint.
Multi-colored boletus bears fruit, like ordinary ones, from summer to autumn. They form mycorrhiza mainly with birches. They prefer to grow in swampy areas, in mosses. Boletus multi-colored in our area are quite rare mushrooms. These are good edible mushrooms, comparable in taste to common boletus.
