A bitter bolete of eastern North American hardwood forests that is purple to violet-grey when young, with a cap that fades to brown. The violet stem lacks the coarse network of T. felleus. It is too bitter to eat.
Cap: convex to flat, dry, dark purple to violet-grey when young, fading to purplish brown or brown. Pores: whitish, becoming pinkish to pinkish brown. Stem: purplish when young, slightly reticulate at the apex and smooth below, with whitish mycelium at the base. Flesh: white; taste very bitter, not lost on cooking. Spore print: pinkish brown.
