cap is up to up to 30cm wide, convex shaped with a depressed center, brown with raised scales and a dry texture.
flesh is white or tinted brown.
underside of cap has brown spines that descend onto the stem.
stem is smooth and light brown, thickening towards the base.
grows singly or as several in areas with conifers.
appears in sumer and fall.
taste is mildly bitter with no odor; cook before eating.
an edible look-alike is the less-palatable Sarcodon scabrosus, which is similar in appearance but the cap is more reddish with scales that are not raised, and the stem is dark blue/black at its base.