Boletus oak (Leccinum quercinum)
Systematics:
- Department: Basidiomycota (Basidiomycetes)
- Subdivision: Agaricomycotina (Agaricomycetes)
- Class: Agaricomycetes (Agaricomycetes)
- Subclass: Agaricomycetidae (Agaricomycetes)
- Order: Boletales
- Family: Boletaceae
- Genus: Leccinum (Obabok)
- Species: Leccinum quercinum (Boletus oak)
Oak boletus cap: Brick-red, brownish, 5-15 cm in diameter, in youth, like all boletus boletus, spherical, 'stretched' on the leg, as it grows, it opens up, acquiring a cushion shape; in overripe mushrooms it can be generally flat, like an upside-down pillow. The skin is velvety, noticeably extending beyond the edges of the cap, in dry weather and in adult specimens it is cracked, 'checkerboard', which, however, is not striking. The pulp is dense, white-gray, blurred dark gray spots are visible on the cut. They are visible, however, not for long, because very soon the cut flesh changes color – first to blue-purple, and then to bluish-black.
Spore-bearing layer: Already in young mushrooms it is not pure white, with age it turns gray more and more. The pores are small and uneven.
Spore powder: Yellow-brown.
Oak boletus leg: Up to 15 cm long, up to 5 cm in diameter, solid, evenly thickening at the bottom, often deeply sinking into the ground. The surface of the leg of the oak boletus is covered with fluffy brown scales (one of the many but unreliable hallmarks of Leccinum quercinum).
Distribution: Like the red boletus (Leccinum aurantiacum), the oak boletus grows from June to the end of September in small groups, preferring, unlike its more famous relative, to enter into an alliance with the oak. Judging by the reviews, it is found somewhat more often than other varieties of red boletus, pine (Leccinum vulpinum) and spruce (Leccinum peccinum) boletus.
Similar species: Three 'secondary boletuses', pine, spruce and oak (Leccinum vulpinum, L. peccinum and L. quercinum) originate from the classic red boletus (Leccinum aurantiacum). Whether to separate them into separate types, whether to leave them as subspecies – judging by everything that has been read, it is a personal matter for every enthusiast. They differ among themselves by partner trees, scales on the leg (in our case, brown), and also by a funny shade of a hat. I decided to consider them different species, because from childhood I learned the following principle: the more boletus boletus, the better.
Edibility of oak boletus: What do you think?
Remarks Still, the best boletus is the boletus that grew under the aspen. A normal aspen boletus, with a red-orange cap and a thick white-scaled leg. The fashion for oak and pine red-headed boletus comes and goes, while the classic shapes and colors remain forever.
Photo of the mushroom Boletus oak from the questions in recognition:
2017.07.19 Tatiana 1
