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Leccinum montanum Thiers

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Scientific name
Leccinum montanum
Author
Thiers
Common names
 
IUCN Specialist Group
Mushroom, Bracket and Puffball
Kingdom
Fungi
Phylum
Basidiomycota
Class
Agaricomycetes
Order
Boletales
Family
Boletaceae
Assessment status
Assessed
Preliminary Category
LC
Proposed by
Noah Siegel
Assessors
Noah Siegel, Gregory Mueller
Comments etc.
James Westrip

Assessment Notes

Justification

Leccinum montanum is a bolete described from aspen groves in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. While uncommon, the species has been recorded in multiple states across the western USA mountains (Mycoportal 2024. Siegel et al., 2019) and it is likely more common than records indicate.  Leccinum are in need of modern taxonomic work, especially species reported from California.  For now the species is assessed as Least Concern due to the reported wide distribution of this species in aspen groves across the western United States .


Taxonomic notes

Described based on a collection made in El Dorado County, California, USA (Thiers 1975).

Leccinum in general are taxonomically confounded by lack of informative morphological criteria, as well as poorly-known and competing species concepts.

Leccinum montanum should be compared genetically with L. californicum; a white-capped but otherwise very similar species, which co-occurs with this species at two of the four known locations in California. It should also be compared to other Leccinum described from eastern North American aspen forests.


Why suggested for a Global Red List Assessment?

Leccinum montanum is a bolete described from aspen groves in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. There are currently nine locations reported from across the western USA mountains (Mycoportal 2021). It is likely more common than records indicate.

Leccinum are in need of modern taxonomic work, especially species reported from California. Until such time, it’s probably best to list this species as Data Deficient (DD).


Geographic range

Known from three locations in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, and six highly disjunct populations in the Cascade Range and Rocky Mountains, and a single collection from Alaska. This species is probably widespread with quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) in the western mountains.


Population and Trends

Population appears to occur over a widespread area (California north to Washington State and Alaska, and from multiple states in the Rocky Mountain), but very little is known about trends of this species. No collections have been made in California since 1983, although this may be a case of mycologist not looking for, or identifying it correctly. Targeted surveys to known locations are needed to assess.

Population Trend: Uncertain


Habitat and Ecology

Fruitbodies solitary or scattered in soil and duff; presumably ectomycorrhizal and associated with Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) in higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada, Cascades and Rocky Mountains. Fruiting in summer and early fall.

Temperate Forest

Threats

Decline of aspen groves in the Sierra Nevada, due in part to conifer encroachment from fire suppression, and cattle grazing are likely negatively impacting the species. .

Small-holder grazing, ranching or farmingSuppression in fire frequency/intensity

Conservation Actions

This species was included in A Field Guide to the Rare Fungi of California’s National Forests (Siegel et al. 2019), and was recommended for the Forest Service sensitive species list.

Although aspen restoration projects are ongoing, effort should be made to cause minimal damage to the duff and under story.

Site/area management

Research needed

Targeted surveys of aspen groves in the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Range in California. are needed to document the species’ distribution and population size and trends, Modern taxonomic work on Leccinum is needed to resolve taxonomic issues.

TaxonomyPopulation size, distribution & trends

Use and Trade

Leccinum are edible, and occasionally collected by foragers.

Food - human

Bibliography

MyCoPortal. 2021. Mycology Collections Portal.  Available at: http://mycoportal.org

Siegel, N., Vellinga, E.C., Schwarz, C., Castellano, M.A. and Ikeda, D. 2019. A Field Guide to the Rare Fungi of California’s National Forests. Bookmobile: Minneapolis, MN. 313 p.

Thiers, H.D. 1975. California Mushrooms A Field Guide to the Boletes. Hafner Press.


Country occurrence

Regional Population and Trends

Country Trend Redlisted