Reflecting their close relationships with trees , the fruit bodies of L. indigo are typically found growing on the ground , scattered or in groups , in both deciduous and coniferous forests . They are also commonly found in floodplain areas that have been recently submerged . In Mexico , associations have been noted with Mexican alder , American Hornbeam , American Hophornbeam , and Liquidambar macrophylla , while in Guatemala the mushroom associate with smooth @-@ bark Mexican pine and other pine and oak species . In Costa Rica , the species form associations with several native oaks of the Quercus genus . Under controlled laboratory conditions , L. indigo was shown to be able to form ectomycorrhizal associations with the neotropical pine species Mexican white pine , Hartweg 's pine , Mexican yellow pine , smooth @-@ bark Mexican pine , and the Eurasian pines Aleppo pine , European black pine , maritime pine , and Scots pine .