Boletus mushroom: photo and description, where it grows, what it looks like, false doubles, why they called it that

Photos and descriptions of the boletus mushroom can often be found both in specialized literature and in many cookbooks. Few can compare in popularity with this representative of the mushroom kingdom, especially in Russia. Boletus is deservedly considered one of the most coveted trophies among mushroom pickers, not inferior in this regard to such “royal” mushrooms as saffron milk cap or white milk mushroom.

What does boletus mushroom look like?

Boletus mushrooms are a fairly numerous genus of mushrooms of the Boletaceae family. Unites several hundred species. All of them belong to tubular mushrooms.

All boletus mushrooms are distinguished by their similarity in appearance and structure. Their fruiting bodies have a clearly defined massive stem and cap. Boletus mushrooms can reach considerable size and weight.

Boletus stem shape

The leg of the boletus is thick, massive, usually club-shaped, with thickenings on the lower or middle part. There is usually a clearly visible mesh pattern on the surface, but sometimes it may be absent. Depending on this, the leg can be either smooth to the touch or slightly rough.

The color is light beige, sometimes streaked, with a large number of small light brown spots. The flesh of the leg is dense, white, and becomes fibrous with age.

Boletus cap shape

The cap of a young boletus resembles a cap tightly placed on a leg. At this stage, it is even, round, dry, velvety to the touch or smooth. Over time, the edges rise, the cap becomes like a semicircle. As the mushroom ages, the top becomes flatter and the cap itself begins to increase in volume and take on the shape of a pillow. The color of the peel covering the cap can vary from light coffee to dark brown.

The tubular layer is light yellow, with a greenish tint, and becomes brighter as the mushroom grows. The flesh of the cap is white or slightly creamy; in young mushrooms it is dense, but over time it becomes soft and loose.

Where does the boletus mushroom grow?

The growing area of boletus is wide. This fungus is common in temperate climate zones of both hemispheres, with the northern border extending into the polar regions, into the arctic tundra zones. Most often, boletus mushrooms grow in mixed forests, forming mycorrhizae with various tree species: pine, spruce, birch.

They prefer well-lit places, edges, and usually grow in groups. They are often found in birch forests, on the slopes of ravines and hills, along forest roads and clearings.

Why was the boletus called that?

The name “boletus” is associated, first of all, with the places where they grow. A boron has always been a name for a clear, open pine forest growing on a hill with a small number of noble deciduous trees such as oak or beech. It is in such places that these mushrooms are most often found, forming mycorrhiza with pine.

Is boletus an edible mushroom or not?

Among boletus mushrooms, there are none that are fatally poisonous and relatively few that are inedible. This explains their great popularity both among experienced lovers of “silent hunting” and among beginners. The porcini mushroom, which is one of the varieties of boletus, is especially valued among mushroom pickers and cooks. It belongs to the highest category, I, in terms of nutritional value, and is always a desired trophy.

Taste qualities of boletus mushrooms

Dishes made from boletus mushrooms have a pronounced mushroom aroma and excellent taste. In some species, fruity tones may be clearly felt in the odor. Edible boletus mushrooms can be eaten without prior soaking or boiling.

The benefits and harms of boletus

In addition to nutritional value, these mushrooms contain many useful substances. Their fruiting bodies contain:

Vitamins A, B1, B2, C, D.
Microelements (calcium, magnesium, molybdenum, iron).

Important! The molecules of boletus and animal protein are almost completely identical, so mushrooms may well become a meat substitute.

Despite all the beneficial properties, it should be remembered that mushrooms are a rather heavy food, and not every stomach can cope with it. That is why they are not recommended for use by children under 10 years of age.

Varieties of boletus

Most boletus mushrooms are edible or conditionally edible mushrooms.Only a small number of species of this mushroom are not eaten for one reason or another. There are also several types of boletus mushrooms classified as poisonous mushrooms.

Edible boletus

Among edible boletus mushrooms, mushrooms of categories I and II in terms of nutritional value predominate; these are mushrooms with excellent and good taste.

Porcini

Widely distributed in the European part of Russia, as well as in Siberia and the Far East. The diameter of the mushroom cap can reach up to 30 cm. Its shape is hemispherical; with age, the edges rise more and more until the top becomes flat. At the same time, its thickness increases significantly. The cap is usually painted light brown and feels rough or velvety to the touch. The spore layer is pale yellow with a greenish tint. Photo of porcini mushroom:

The leg is powerful, club-shaped, usually thickened at the bottom or in the middle part. Its color is white with small brown streaks. The pulp is white or slightly yellowish, dense. Remains white when cut.

White birch mushroom

In many regions of Russia, the mushroom has its own name - spikelet, since the period of its growth coincides with the appearance of the spike in rye. The cap can grow up to 15 cm in diameter, it is cushion-shaped, and over time takes on a flatter shape. The skin is light brown, sometimes almost white.

The leg is cylindrical or barrel-shaped, white, sometimes with a mesh pattern. The tubular layer is almost white, becoming light yellow as it grows. The pulp is white and does not change color when broken or cut. Spikelets usually grow from June to October along forest edges, along clearings and forest roads, forming mycorrhiza with birch.

White pine mushroom

The cap is convex, cushion-shaped or hemispherical, becoming flatter with age. Can reach 25-30 cm in diameter. The surface of the cap is wrinkled or lumpy, dark brown in various shades.

The leg is short, massive, club-shaped, light brown with a fine mesh pattern. The tubular layer is white, becoming light green or olive with age. The pulp is white, dense, the color does not change in places of mechanical damage. It grows mainly in coniferous or mixed forests, forming mycorrhiza with pine, less often with spruce or deciduous trees. The main growth time is from July to September, although they can often be found even after frost.

White oak mushroom

In young specimens the cap is spherical, later becoming semicircular and cushion-shaped. The skin is velvety to the touch, often covered with a network of small cracks. The color can vary from light coffee to dark ocher. The tubular layer is pale yellow, with a greenish or olive tint.

The stem of a young mushroom is club-shaped, and with age it takes on the shape of a cylinder or a truncated cone. A fine light brown mesh pattern can be seen along the entire length. The pulp is dense, yellowish-white, the color does not change when broken. It is widespread in the southern regions, where it can be found in deciduous forests with a predominance of beech or oak, and often grows next to chestnut trees. The growth period begins in May and continues until October.

Copper porcini mushroom (bronze boletus)

The cap is hemispherical, and with age it acquires a flatter, cushion-like shape. It can reach a diameter of 20 cm. The skin is dark gray, almost black, with an ashy tint; in young specimens it is velvety and pleasant to the touch.The tubular layer is white and begins to turn slightly yellow with age.

The leg is massive, club-shaped, light brown, covered with a fine mesh. The pulp is white, quite dense, becoming looser with age. Bronze boletus grows in the southern regions, usually in oak groves with the presence of chestnuts. Appears in May and usually has several waves of growth throughout the season. The last specimens can be found in the forest in mid-autumn.

False boletus

It should be understood that the term “false” means an inedible or poisonous mushroom, similar in appearance to any edible one. In the case of boletus mushrooms, it is worth including, first of all, representatives of the same Boletaceae family, such as:

Gall mushroom.
Satanic mushroom.
Boletus Le Gal.
The boletus is wonderful.

This list includes both inedible and poisonous species. Here are some mushrooms that are similar to edible boletus mushrooms, but are not:

Gall mushroom (gorchak). According to the classification, it is not a boletus, although these mushrooms belong to the same family. Outwardly, it is similar to an ordinary porcini mushroom; it has a hemispherical or cushion-shaped cap of brown color of various shades. A distinctive feature of bittersweet is the color of the tubular layer. It is pale pink, becoming darker and brighter with age. When broken, the flesh of the gall mushroom, unlike boletus, turns red, it tastes bitter, and the bitterness intensifies during heat treatment. Bitterweed is not poisonous, but it is impossible to eat.

Important! The gall fungus is almost never wormy.
Satanic mushroom. It got its name from the similarity of the stem in color to a tongue of flame escaping from the ground. The red or orange stem is the hallmark of this mushroom.It is typical for all Boletovs, club-shaped, thick, dense. The cap of the satanic mushroom is semicircular, becoming flatter and pillow-shaped with age. Its color is olive-gray, in various shades. The spore layer is greenish-yellow. The pulp is dense, yellowish, and usually turns blue when broken. The peculiarity of the satanic mushroom is its smell. In young specimens it is pleasant and spicy, but with age the pulp of the fruiting body begins to smell more and more like rotten onions. The satanic mushroom grows from June to October, mainly in the southern regions of the European part of Russia, and is found in the Primorsky Territory. In its raw form, the species is poisonous, but in some countries it is eaten after prolonged heat treatment. This false boletus is pictured below:
Boletus Le Gal (legal). Found mainly in European countries. The head of all boletus mushrooms has a semicircular or cushion-shaped cap. Its color is dirty pink. The skin is velvety, pleasant to the touch. The tubular layer is pinkish-orange. The pulp is light yellow, with a pleasant mushroom smell, and turns blue when broken. The leg is dense, rounded, swollen. Its color is pink-orange, and a fine mesh pattern is clearly visible on the surface. It grows in July-September in deciduous forests, forming mycorrhiza with oak, beech, and hornbeam. Boletus Le Gal is poisonous and should not be eaten.
The boletus is wonderful. The cap of this mushroom is olive-brown, sometimes reddish, often with dark tan spots. The shape is hemispherical, becoming cushion-shaped as it grows. The pores of the tubular layer are red. The pulp is yellowish, turns blue when cut. The leg is thick, red-brick, with a pattern in the form of a fine mesh. The species is widespread in coniferous forests of North America. Poisonous.

Collection rules

It is quite difficult to make a mistake when collecting boletus mushrooms. All poisonous representatives of this family have a characteristic color with red tones, which makes the likelihood of error quite low. However, during a “silent hunt” you should adhere to generally accepted rules:

You should not take mushrooms unless you are absolutely sure that they are edible and safe.
During the growth process, fruiting bodies literally absorb radionuclides, heavy metal salts, and other harmful substances. They should not be collected in close proximity to busy highways or railroads, or at abandoned military or industrial sites where they usually grow in abundance.
When collecting mushrooms, you need to cut them with a knife, and not pull them out of the ground, otherwise the mycelium threads will be destroyed.
Boletuses almost always grow in groups. Often the mycelium stretches along natural folds of the terrain: ditch, ravine, old automobile track. It is in this direction that the search needs to continue.
It is better to immediately leave wormy specimens in the forest by pinning them on a tree branch. Ripe spores spill out of the cap and form a new mycelium. And the dried mushroom will be eaten by birds or squirrels.
Boletus mushrooms with a small number of worms inside can be used for processing, for example, they can be dried. However, the harvest must be processed immediately upon returning from the forest, otherwise the larvae will not only continue to destroy the wormy mushrooms, but will also crawl onto neighboring, clean ones.

By adhering to these simple rules of “quiet hunting”, you can be confident in your health and safety.

Consumption of boletus

Boletus mushrooms are tasty and nutritious. There are a lot of recipes for cooking dishes with these mushrooms.They are truly universal, they can be used in any form: fried, boiled, pickled. They are dried and frozen for the winter, used as ingredients for preparing various salads, soups, and sauces.

Important! With any processing, the boletus practically does not lose its presentation.

How to grow boletus mushrooms at home

Probably no gardener would refuse to have a plantation of porcini mushrooms on his or her plot. However, this is quite difficult to do. In order for boletus mushrooms to grow like in a forest, it is necessary to create suitable conditions for them that maximally imitate natural ones. This applies to literally all aspects: soil, the composition of organic residues on which the mycelium should grow, the presence of trees of a suitable age for the formation of mycorrhiza, etc.

A good option for artificial breeding of boletus mushrooms is the use of greenhouses or heated rooms in which the required temperature and humidity parameters can be maintained. Mycelium can be obtained independently from mushrooms collected in the forest or purchased in an online store.

Interesting video about growing porcini mushrooms in a summer cottage:

Conclusion

Above are photos and descriptions of the boletus mushroom, its edible and inedible varieties. Of course, the list of listed species is far from complete. However, even this information is quite enough to have a general idea of this fungal family, which numbers about 300 species.

Name:	Borovik
Type:	Edible