Albatrellus citrinus

Albatrellus citrinus produces fleshy, annual fruiting bodies that are stool-like or bracket-like. The cap is initially pale cream but becomes light yellow to yellow-orange with age (often with a slight brown bruising). Caps range from 5–15 cm across, convex to flat, with a smooth to slightly cracked surface. Unlike A. subrubescens, it lacks dark reddish spots on the cap; instead it often shows uniform yellowing with age. The pore surface underneath is whitish to pale yellow, with small round pores (3–4 per mm). The stipe, if present, is short and off-centre. The flesh is white, turning yellowish on exposure. The taste is mild (distinguishing it from the bitter A. subrubescens). Microscopically it has generative hyphae with clamps and ellipsoid, hyaline spores about 4–5 by 3–4 μm.

Albatrellus citrinus is an ectomycorrhizal fungus associated mainly with spruce (Picea abies) in calcareous soils. It has been found in montane coniferous forests and alvar (limestone) woodlands in northern Europe. The species was first identified in Sweden, where it occurs in lime-rich spruce forests (type locality in Dalarna, Sweden). A year later, the fungus was later reported from Tibet at an elevation of 3200 m, where it was growing under Picea. In 2018, it was recorded in the Czech Republic.

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