A striking eastern bolete whose dry cap is covered in pinkish-red to brick-red scales over a yellow background, with whitish veil tissue hanging from the margin. The yellow pores are large and angular, and the stem is shaggy below a whitish to grayish ring. It grows only with eastern white pine.
Edible, though opinions on its quality vary. Its dry red-scaly cap, ring and eastern white pine host make it distinctive; no dangerous look-alikes are reported in eastern North America, but Suillus can upset some stomachs.
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Habitat
Ectomycorrhizal with eastern white pine (Pinus strobus). Alone or in groups, late summer through fall.
Distribution
Throughout the natural range of eastern white pine in eastern North America (Great Plains eastward); rarely under planted eastern white pine in Europe. Similar but distinct species occur under five-needle pines in Asia.
Characteristics
Cap: 3-10 cm, convex with an inrolled margin becoming nearly flat; dry, with large pinkish to brick-red scales that fade with age; veil tissue on margin. Pores: whitish under the veil when young, then yellow to brownish yellow; angular, 1-5 mm, vaguely radial, sometimes bruising reddish or brownish; tubes 4-8 mm deep. Stem: 4-10 cm long, 1-2 cm thick; shaggy below a whitish to grayish ring; no glandular dots. Flesh: yellow, usually staining pinkish, reddish or brownish when cut. Spore print: reddish brown (MushroomExpert; Wikipedia gives olive-brown). Spores: 7-13 x 2.5-4 um, boletoid-fusiform, smooth.
