Boletus radicans
| Boletus radicans | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Boletales |
| Family: | Boletaceae |
| Genus: | Boletus |
| Species: | B.radicans |
| Binomial name | |
| Boletus radicans Pers. | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Boletus albidus | |
| Boletus radicans | |
|---|---|
 Mycological characteristics | |
 | pores on hymenium |
 | cap is convex |
 | hymenium is adnexed |
 | stipe is bare |
 | spore print is olive-brown |
 | ecology is mycorrhizal |
 | edibility: inedible |
Boletus radicans, also known as the rooting bolete or whitish bolete, is a large, rare ectomycorrhizal fungus found in Europe under deciduous trees in summer and autumn. It has a pale buff or white cap, yellow pores and a stout stem, and stains blue when bruised or cut. It is bitter and inedible.
Taxonomy
Boletus radicans was first described by the pioneering South African-born mycologist Christian Hendrik Persoon in 1801. Its specific epithet is derived from the Latin radic- 'root'. Boletus albidus is a later synonym.[1] It has been called the whitish bolete.[2]
Description
The cap diameter ranges from 7.5–30 cm (3–10 in) across, and is usually dirty white or buff.[1] Sometimes reminiscent of a large stone from a distance. Downy at first, but cracking at the centre later. Measuring 5–8 cm (2–3¼ in) tall by 3–4 cm (1¼–1⅔ in) wide, the stipe is usually (but not always) swollen, with a rooting base. The apex being bright lemon yellow, and fading below. There is a light straw coloured, sometimes absent reticulation at the top. The flesh is pale yellow, turning white in the cap, and pale blue in the stem when cut. The pores are lemon yellow, small and round, and bruise blue. The spore print is olivaceous walnut-brown.[1]
Distribution and habitat
Appearing in summer and autumn, Boletus radicans grows with Quercus and Fagus species (Oak and Beech), and is sometimes found in fairly large numbers. Not too fussy, the species grows on both chalk and more acidic soils in southern England and is present elsewhere in Europe.
Edibility
The mushroom is not edible due to its bitterness.[1] A study in 2012 on mushroom poisoning in Swtizerland by Katharina M. Schenk-Jaeger et al., (published in the European Journal of Internal Medicine 23 (2012) e85–e91) found Boletus radicans to be toxic as it caused several cases of severe poisoning.
See also
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Boletus radicans. |
- Marcel Bon—The Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain and North Western Europe.
- Courtecuisse and Duhem—Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain and Europe.
- Schenk-Jaeger, K.M. et al.—Mushroom poisoning: A study on circumstances of exposure and patterns of toxicity. European Journal of Internal Medicine 23,4 (2012) e85–e91. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejim.2012.03.014