| Gyrodon lividus | |
|---|---|
| Gyrodon lividus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Phylum: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Basidiomycetes |
| Order: | Boletales |
| Family: | Paxillaceae |
| Genus: | Gyrodon |
| Species: | G. lividus |
| Binomial name | |
| Gyrodon lividus (Bull.) Fr. |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Uloporus lividus (Bull.) Quél. |
|
| Gyrodon lividus | |
|---|---|
| Mycological characteristics | |
| pores on hymenium | |
| cap is flat | |
| hymenium is decurrent | |
| stipe is bare | |
|
spore print is olive to brown |
|
| edibility: edible | |
Gyrodon lividus, commonly known as the alder bolete, is a pored mushroom bearing close affinity to the genus Paxillus. It is also known as Uloporus lividus by some authorities. Found predominantly in Europe, though also recorded from Japan and California, it is distinguished by its decurrent bright yellow pores which turn blue-grey on bruising. It is edible.
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It was initially described by French mycologist Pierre Bulliard in 1791 as Boletus lividus, before being given its current binomial name in 1838 by Elias Magnus Fries. The generic term Gyrodon is derived from the Ancient Greek gyros "whorl" and odon "tooth",[1][2] while the specific epithet lividus is Latin for "lead-coloured".[3] Lucien Quélet described it as Uloporus lividus in 1886, and it is still under this binomial in some texts.[4]
Recent molecular research confirms the relations of the genus Gyrodon and Paxillus as sister groups, together lying near the base of a tree from which the genus Boletus arises.[5]
Gyrodon lividus has a pale brown, buff or ochre cap 4–10 cm (1.6–4 in) in diameter which is convex and later flat in shape, and can be sticky when wet. The tubes and decurrent large pores are bright yellow and turn blue-grey when cut or bruised. The thin flesh is pale yellow. The ringless stipe is initially the same colour as the cap but later darkens to a red-brown; it is 3–7 cm (1.2-2.8 in) high by 1–2 cm wide (0.4-0.8 in). The spore print is olive-brown and the oval spores are 4.5-6 x 3-4 μm. The mushroom has a non-distinctive smell and taste.[6] It is reported as edible by some authors,[6] and inedible by others.[1]
It has been found in Europe, including Ķemeri National Park in Latvia,[7] and Asia (Japan) and California, under Alder (Alnus rhombifolia).[8]
As its common name suggests, Gyrodon lividus is found under alder (Alnus rhombifolia), with which it forms a mycorrhizal relationship. Fruiting bodies may be found alone or in clumps and appear in autumn.