Birch boletes can be found in glades, small groves and on forest edges, most often among birches and aspens. These mushrooms can be very large, with the caps reaching up to 20 cm in diameter and the stems up to 15-20 cm tall. They grow as single specimens or in groups of several specimens.

The cap of birch boletes can be either downy or smooth. Its colour can range from whitish, through brown to almost black. The cap of red-capped scaber stalks can be rusty-brown, brown-red, or brown-orange. Initially, the fruiting body is semi-spherical to become convex and finally cushiony. Its surface is dry and smooth, and the stem is relatively long and slender. It does not have a veil. It is fibrous and rough in texture. The pores, which are located on the underside, are white-grey or yellow, and change to ochre-greyish with age.

Young fruiting bodies and caps are the tastiest parts of these mushrooms. Their stipes seem to be woody and stringy, and become hard after processing. The flesh becomes black when processed.