Strobilomyces strobilaceus, commonly known as Old Man of the Woods, is a medium to large bolete which is characterized by very soft dark grey to black pyramidal and overlapping scales on the cap surface. It is commonly found in forests with a mix of coniferous and deciduous trees in moist and shaded environments.

Cap at first convex-shaped and flatten out with age. It is covered with upright blackish scales that are woolly when the caps are young, becoming firmer on ageing specimens. The underlying cap colour ranges from almost white through shades of greyish brown to almost entirely black. 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. Stem coloured like the cap and has a woolly surface and a thick, ascending ring-like structure at the top. Spore print blackish brown to black.

Microscopic Features: Spores are ellipsoidal, measuring 9-15 x 8-12μm, and have a finely meshed pattern.

Synonyms: The name Strobilomyces floccopus is commonly used for the mushroom in North America.

Strobilomyces strobilaceus on the First Nature Web site.
Strobilomyces genus on the MushroomExpert.Com Web site.