Appearance
The mushrooms, or fruiting bodies, can be quite large in size. the brownish or greyish cap measures up to 30 cm in diameter and is covered with coarse darker brown scales. It is funnel-shaped. The underside bears soft, pale grey 'teeth' rather than gills. These are 0.5–1 cm long and brittle. The pale grey or brown stem may reach 8 centimetres high and 3 centimetres wide, and may be narrower at the base and is sometimes eccentric.From above, it may be confused with the old man of the woods as both have a similar shaggy cap. The bitter and inedible ''Sarcodon amarascens'' can be distinguished by its bluish-black stipe.
Distribution
They grow in association with firs, especially in hilly or mountainous areas, and can appear on sandy or chalk soils in fairy rings. The usual fruiting season in August to October. It ranges throughout North America and Europe, although collections from the British Isles are now assigned to another species, ''Sarcodon squamosus''.
Uses
Old mushrooms of ''Sarcodon imbricatus'' and related species contain blue-green pigments, which are used for dyeing wool in Norway.References:
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