The eastern North American matsutake: a stout, white to brown-streaked Tricholoma with a thick veil that leaves a flaring ring and a strong spicy, cinnamon-like odor. Since Trudell et al. (2017) the name is restricted to eastern North America; western 'white matsutake' is T. murrillianum.
Edible and highly regarded, though tough; eaten raw or cooked. Serious poisonings have resulted from confusing matsutake with poisonous white Amanita species, including A. smithiana; check for the spicy odor, the ring and the lack of a basal volva. Tricholoma caligatum, a look-alike under hardwoods, lacks the odor and is often bitter.
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Habitat
Ectomycorrhizal with hard pines (jack, red and pitch pine) and eastern hemlock in coniferous woods. Alone, scattered or in groups. Fall and early winter.
Distribution
Eastern North America: the Upper Midwest and northeast, east of the Rocky Mountains, extending south through the Appalachians. Originally described from New York. Records from western North America belong to T. murrillianum, and Mexican matsutake to T. mesoamericanum.
Characteristics
Cap: 4-20 cm (MushroomExpert gives 4-9 cm); brown when young, expanding to whitish or brownish with brown streaks and scales; margin often hung with veil remnants. Gills: White, narrowly attached, close. Stem: 4-15 cm long, 1-6 cm thick; white above the ring, with brown fibrils and scales below. Veil: Thick, white partial veil forming a flaring ring. Odor: Strong, spicy, cinnamon-like (methyl cinnamate). Spore print: White. Spores: 4-8 x 3.5-5 µm, broadly ellipsoid, smooth.
