Bolete

A bolete, Boletus edulis, showing the solid looking, spongy bottom surface, which is the defining characteristic of boletes.
The porcini, Boletus edulis, showing the solid looking, spongy bottom surface, which is the defining characteristic of boletes.

A bolete is a type of mushroom, or fungal fruiting body. It can be identified due to its unique cap. On the underside of the cap there is usually a spongy surface with pores, instead of the gills typical of mushrooms. A similar pore surface is found in polypores, but these species generally have a different physical structure from boletes, and have different microscopic characteristics than boletes. Many polypores have much firmer, often woody, flesh.

"Bolete" is the English common name for fungus species with caps that have this appearance.

Some, but not all boletes bruise blue.

Taxonomy

The boletes are classified in the order Boletales. However, not all members of the order Boletales are boletes. The micromorphology and molecular phylogeny of the order Boletales have established that it also contains many gilled, puffball, and other fruit body shapes. Examples of these fungi include Chroogomphus, Gomphidius, Phylloporus, Paxillus, Tapinella, Hygrophoropsis, and Scleroderma.

Pseudoboletus parasiticus mushrooms growing out of a Scleroderma citrinum mushroom
Pseudoboletus parasiticus is a parasite to Scleroderma citrinum.

The genus Boletus was originally broadly defined and described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, containing all pored mushrooms. Since then, gradually other genera have been defined, such as Tylopilus by Karsten in 1881, and old names such as Leccinum and Suillus resurrected or redefined.

Recently, the genus Boletus has been split up even more, creating new genera, such as Xerocomellus and Caloboletus.

Ecology

Most boletes are mycorrhizal and are generally found in woodlands. There is also a parasitic bolete, Pseudoboletus parasiticus, which grows on Scleroderma citrinum. Another parasitic bolete is Buchwaldoboletus lignicola, which is a parasite to Phaeolus schweinitzii, the dyer's polypore.

Two Satan's boletes on the forest floor, one knocked over, red pores showing.
Satan's bolete (Rubroboletus satanas) is a very poisonous mushroom.

Boletes are susceptible to infection by the fungus Hypomyces chrysospermus, also known as the bolete eater.

Edibility

Many boletes, such as the porcini (Boletus edulis), are edible and considered a delicacy. However, other boletes, such as many Suillus and Xerocomellus are considered edible, but not choice. Some boletes, such as Caloboletus and Tylopilus are too bitter to eat. Other boletes, such as ones in the Rubroboletus genus, such as Satan's bolete (Rubroboletus satanas) are dangerously poisonous. Most poisonous boletes have red pores. Some boletes appear to be hallucinogenic. One such bolete is Boletus manicus.

A Xerocomellus diffractus mushroom with cracks in its cap.
Xerocomellus diffractus is edible, but not highly prized.

References

  1. ↑ Arora, David (1986). Mushrooms demystified: a comprehensive guide to the fleshy fungi (2nd ed.). Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. ISBN 978-0-89815-170-1.
  2. ↑ Biggane, Eric (2015-07-30). "Identifying Boletus Mushrooms". Wild Food UK. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  3. 1 2 3 Schwarz, Christian; Siegel, Noah (2016). Mushrooms of the redwood coast: a comprehensive guide to the fungi of coastal northern California. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. ISBN 978-1-60774-817-5.
  4. ↑ "The Genus Scleroderma (MushroomExpert.Com)". www.mushroomexpert.com. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  5. ↑ Prasher, I.B (2015). Wood-rotting non-gilled Agaricomycetes of Himalayas. Springer. ISBN 9789401798563.
  6. ↑ "Tylopilus felleus, Bitter Bolete mushroom". www.first-nature.com. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  7. ↑ Šutara, Josef. "CZECH MYCOLOGY Czech Mycology 60(1): 29–62 Xerocomus s. l. in the light of the present state of knowledge. - abstract". www.czechmycology.org. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  8. ↑ Vizzini A. (10 June 2014). "Nomenclatural novelties" (PDF). Index Fungorum (146): 1–2. ISSN 2049-2375.
  9. ↑ "The Boletes (MushroomExpert.Com)". www.mushroomexpert.com. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  10. ↑ "Parasitic Bolete | NatureSpot". www.naturespot.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  11. ↑ "Pseudoboletus parasiticus (MushroomExpert.Com)". www.mushroomexpert.com. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  12. ↑ Initiative, The Global Fungal Red List. "Buchwaldoboletus lignicola". redlist.info. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  13. ↑ "Hypomyces chrysospermus (MushroomExpert.Com)". www.mushroomexpert.com. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Arora, David (1986). Mushrooms demystified: a comprehensive guide to the fleshy fungi (2nd ed.). Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. ISBN 978-0-89815-170-1.
  15. ↑ Stevens, Michael Wood & Fred. "California Fungi: Xerocomellus dryophilus". www.mykoweb.com. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  16. ↑ "Boletus edulis - Mushrooms Up! Edible and Poisonous Species of Coastal BC and the Pacific Northwest". explore.beatymuseum.ubc.ca. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  17. ↑ Guzmán G (2015). "New Studies on Hallucinogenic Mushrooms: History, Diversity, and Applications in Psychiatry". Int J Med Mushrooms. 17 (11): 1019–1029. doi:10.1615/intjmedmushrooms.v17.i11.10. PMID 26853956.
  18. 1 2 Arora, David (2008). "Notes on Economic Mushrooms. Xiao Ren Ren: The "Little People" of Yunnan" (PDF). Economic Botany. 62 (3). New York Botanical Garden Press: 540–544. doi:10.1007/s12231-008-9049-0. ISSN 0013-0001. JSTOR 40390492. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  19. ↑ Thomas B. (2003). "Boletus manicus Heim". Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. 35 (3): 393–4. doi:10.1080/02791072.2003.10400024. PMID 14621139. S2CID 31327216.
  20. ↑ Thomas B (2000). "Psychoactive card XIII: Boletus manicus". Eleusis: Journal of Psychoactive Plants and Compounds. 4: 167–174. Archived from the original on 31 July 2022.