The fruit bodies are gray, fleshy polypores that grow on the ground in a mycorrhizal association with Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris).

The fungus was first described in 1874 as a species of Polyporus by American mycologist Charles Horton Peck in 1874, who made the type collection in Copake, New York.

[4] Boletopsis grisea is found in Europe, and in both Canada and the United States[5] (August–October in the east and September–November in the west),[4] growing on nutrient-poor acidic soils.

Threats to the fungus include deforestation, air pollution, and the use of fertilizers and lime used to increase timber production.

[6] Research has identified p-terphenyl compounds that impart a free radical scavenging activity in laboratory tests.