Content
Beautifully colored boletus or beautifully colored boletus (Boletus pulchrotinctus, Rubroboletus pulchrotinctus) is a mushroom from the genus Suillellus, family Boletaceae, classified as conditionally edible. It is rare and is listed as an endangered species in the Red Book of Crimea. Autumn fruiting.
Mushroom with an unusual pink color
What beautifully colored boletus mushrooms look like
The fruiting bodies change shape, the color during the growing season can be pale or bright pink with a yellow tint. This is a large mushroom in size, growing above 15 cm, the diameter of the cap is 13-15 cm.
The spore-bearing layer is very dense, dark yellow in color
The external characteristics of the beautifully colored bolet are as follows:
- At the beginning of growth, the cap is hemispherical in shape, the edges are tightly pressed to the stem. Then it opens up and becomes round with concave ends.
- The surface is dry, lumpy, finely fleecy at the beginning of growth, then smooth.
- The protective film is difficult to separate from the surface even on old copies. The color is not monochromatic, the central part is light beige with reddish areas. Bright pink color appears along the edge.
- The hymenophore is free tubular and dense with small cells, easily separated.
- The color is dark yellow with an olive tint; when damaged or pressed, it oxidizes and turns blue.
- The pulp is dense, hard, creamy or light yellow in color; when cut, it quickly oxidizes and turns light blue, especially near the tubular layer.
- Leg – up to 3.5 cm wide, length – 12 cm and above. At the beginning of growth it is short, rather thick, then stretches out.
- The shape is club-shaped, rounded in the central part, tapering at the top and thin at the base.
- The color of the wide part is dark pink, near the mycelium and cap - dark beige.
- The structure is dense and solid, the surface 2/3 of the ground is covered with a fine mesh.
Where do beautifully colored boletus grow?
The beautifully colored boletus is very rare and heat-loving. The main distribution area is the Crimean peninsula and the Mediterranean. Grows in mountainous areas on calcined and siliceous soils. Forms a symbiosis with oak or beech. Fruiting begins from July until late autumn. It grows more often solitarily; groups of 3-5 specimens are rarely found.
Is it possible to eat beautifully colored boletus mushrooms?
The mushroom is conditionally edible with low nutritional value. Toxic in its raw form.Can only be used after prolonged hot processing. The beautifully colored boletus is a rarely seen, unfamiliar species, and due to the toxic substances in its composition, it is unpopular among mushroom pickers.
False doubles
The beautifully colored bolet has an external resemblance to Fechtner's boletus, an edible mushroom.
A common species, in demand among mushroom pickers
They differ in the color of the cap; the double’s is silver or light brown, with a pink tint only on the stem. The species is distributed throughout the European part, the Far East, and the North Caucasus. Fruiting in autumn, abundant. When cut, the flesh turns slightly blue.
The pink-skinned boletus is an inedible, poisonous species. Their distribution area and fruiting time are the same.
Damaged pulp turns blue when exposed to air
At the beginning of the growing season, the boletus mushrooms are similar, then the color of the cap darkens and becomes closer to light brown with dark pink fragments along the edge. The stem is dark red with lemon patches near the cap. The main difference between the poisonous twin is the spore-bearing layer of dark red color. The pulp also turns blue when scrapped, has no odor, or has a subtle fruity-sour aroma.
Collection rules
Harvest from mid-July in mixed and deciduous forests, undergrowth, in open sunny areas; fruiting is not abundant. The boletus is located among short grass on a bed of rotten leaves near beech trees. They do not take overripe specimens, do not collect them in places with poor ecology.
Use
Fruiting bodies are used only after 40 minutes. boiling. Then the mushrooms are salted, fried or marinated. The beautifully colored bolet can be stored frozen for a long time.The mushroom is not suitable for preparing first courses and drying; with this method of processing, the gastronomic qualities are low.
Conclusion
The beautifully colored boletus is a rare species with low nutritional value and is included in the conditionally edible group. The heat-loving mushroom is found only in southern latitudes and grows in symbiosis with beech trees. In cooking they are used only after heat treatment; the raw fruit body contains toxic compounds.
