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Boletus edulis: The King Bolete [ Basidiomycetes > Boletales > Boletaceae > Boletus . . . ] by Michael Kuo This mushroom is known world-wide as one of the best edibles. It is called the cep in France, the Steinpilz in Germany, porcini in Italy--and the "king bolete" in English speaking countries. It has many close relatives and varieties, most of which are almost indistinguishable in their excellence (see comments below for more information). However, if you are planning on eating these mushrooms, do not rely on this page alone for your identification! Once you have collected it a few times, Boletus edulis is a pretty easily recognized mushroom. It has a characteristic shape (with a swollen base), reticulation on the stem, and its cap has a characteristic texture--like a very well buffed, soft, sticky leather. Its white to olive yellow pores do not bruise blue when injured. Description: Ecology: Mycorrhizal with conifers, especially spruce, and (in some locations) with hardwoods; growing alone, scattered, or gregariously; summer and fall; widely distributed. In North America this mushroom is more common from the Rocky Mountains westward, but is (thankfully!) occasional in the east. Cap: 8-30 cm, convex in the button stage, becoming broadly convex to nearly flat; tacky when wet; smooth, like well buffed leather; light brown to brown to dark vinaceous brown (sometimes nearly red). Pore Surface: Whitish at first, becoming yellow to olive; tubes same; pores tightly packed at first; not bruising or, in age, bruising olive. Stem: 8-20 cm long; 2-10 cm thick at apex; usually club-shaped to nearly club-shaped when young (rarely equal), club-shaped to equal; finely reticulate over at least the upper half; white, or white below and brownish above. Flesh: White, solid, unchanging; sometimes tinged with rose shades near the cap surface and around worm holes; rarely discoloring slightly blue near the tubes. Odor and Taste: Nutty; not distinctive. Chemical Reactions: KOH on cap orange or red; on flesh negative. Ammonia black to orange on cap; negative on flesh. Iron salts pale greenish on cap; pale greenish on flesh. Spore Print: Olive brown to brownish. Microscopic Features: Spores 13-19 x 4-7 µ; smooth; spindle shaped to nearly elliptical. REFERENCES: Bulliard, 1782. (Fries, 1821; Saccardo, 1888; Coker & Beers, 1943; Snell & Dick, 1970; Smith & Thiers, 1971; Thiers, 1975; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1981; Arora 1986; States, 1990; Phillips, 1991/2005; Lincoff, 1992; Both, 1993; Evenson, 1997; Barron, 1999; Bessette, Roody & Bessette, 2000; Roody, 2003; McNeil, 2006; Miller & Miller, 2006; Kuo, 2007.) Herb. Kuo 07280606, 08150719. There are a number of North American mushrooms that loosely fit the description of Boletus edulis, including Boletus variipes, Boletus nobilis, Boletus pinophilus, Boletus barrowsii, and others. Additionally, mushrooms are frequently found that do not precisely match descriptions, or that seem to represent "intergrading" between the various species in the "edulis complex" (see Boletus sp. 01 for an example). How this situation will be resolved, mycologically speaking, is up for grabs at the moment. DNA analysis may reveal many of these "species" to be "conspecific," or it may not; a rigorous study of many mushrooms in the complex from across the continent is required. Officially, at the moment, the "true" Boletus edulis has a reddish brown, slightly sticky cap, and a finely reticulate stem. Specimens collected east of the Rocky Mountains, in my experience, are less reddish than they are "supposed to be." At high elevation in the Rockies, however, the specimens I have collected are more reddish, and more closely resemble collections I have made in Europe. Further Online Information: Boletus edulis and variants in Smith & Thiers, 1971 |
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Cite this page as: Kuo, M. (2001). Boletus edulis: The king bolete. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/boletus_edulis.html |