Like many mushrooms, boletus has a 'self-explanatory name'. That is, speaking about boletus, we immediately understand that it grows in a pine forest, aspen boletus – under an aspen, but all types of boletus, of course, settle in birch groves.
On this page you can look at the photo of what the boletus looks like, read a detailed description of the mushrooms. You will also learn about the halo of distribution of some varieties of boletus and the twins of these mushrooms.
What does an ordinary boletus mushroom look like?
Category: edible.
The species of boletus (Leccinum scabrum) has several varieties: multi-colored, ash-gray, checkerboard (blackening), harsh, gray, turning pink (oxidizing), marsh (white) and black. They differ in the place of growth and the shade of the cap.
In order to get an idea of what boletus mushrooms look like, look at the photo of the mushroom above: the boletus cap (diameter 4-12 cm) is gray, brown or brownish, sometimes almost black. It resembles a swollen pillow in shape.
Leg (diameter 1.5-4 cm): white or grayish, with scales, tapering from bottom to top.
Twin: Inedible gall mushroom (Tylopilus felleus). In order not to confuse these mushrooms, carefully consider the photo of the common boletus:
Its pulp is colored evenly, while the pulp of the gall fungus turns red at the site of a cut or fracture.
When it grows: from late June to early November in the countries of the Eurasian continent, North and South America.
Where to find it: In deciduous forests, usually near birches.
Eating: delicious in any form.
Application in traditional medicine: not applicable.
Other names: birch, blackhead. In the tundra, where the common boletus grows next to dwarf birches, it is called the boletus.
What does the marsh boletus look like: photo and description of the mushroom
Category: edible.
Marsh boletus cap (Leccinum holopus) (diameter 6-16 cm): usually light brown, in the shape of a swollen pad, dry to the touch.
The leg of the boletus marsh mushroom is similar in description to the common species of the night – its height is 4-12 cm, the color is white or light gray.
Tubular layer: light in young mushrooms, and deep brown in old ones.
Pay attention to the photo: the flesh of the marsh boletus is very soft, white in color, which does not change at the place of the cut or break. Has no pronounced smell and taste.
Twins: other boletus, from which the marsh differs in its place of growth, as well as an inedible gall fungus (Tylopilus felleus) with reddening pulp at the cut site.
When it grows: from early July to late September in temperate countries of the Eurasian continent.
Where can you find it: near swamps and in damp forest places, prefers neighborhood with birches.
Eating: only young mushrooms, and they are very tasty in any form.
Application in traditional medicine: not applicable.
What does a boletus look like?
Category: edible.
Photo and description of the mushroom harsh boletus (Leccinum duriusculum) is somewhat different from the previous species: cap (diameter 5-17 cm): from brown to gray or light purple. It has the shape of a hemisphere, which eventually changes to a flatter and cushion-shaped one and darkens significantly. Young mushrooms often have scales or pubescence, while old ones are glabrous and smooth.
Leg (height 6-18 cm): creamy at the bottom, white at the top, bluish or light lilac at the very base with a noticeable thickening. Solid, cylindrical. Often with small brownish scales.
Tubular layer: loose tubes of white color, darken strongly upon pressure.
Boletus mushrooms often grow in the birch-aspen forest.
Flesh: firm, white. On the cut and when interacting with air, it turns pink in the area of the cap, and turns green or black at the leg. The taste is sweetish, at the break it gives off a pleasant mushroom aroma.
Doubles: none.
When it grows: from mid-July to early November in temperate countries of the Eurasian continent.
Where to find it: On calcareous soils of deciduous and mixed forests, usually near poplars and aspens.
Eating: any cooked form. The fungus is rarely wormy.
Application in traditional medicine: not applicable.
Other names: hard boletus, poplar boletus, harsh boletus.
Boletus mushroom multicolored
Category: edible.
The cap of the multicolored boletus (Leccinum variicolor) (diameter 5-12 cm) is gray or brown, with yellow or gray markings. It can be brick, orange, beige, pinkish. It has the shape of a hemisphere with a skin slightly overhanging at the edges. In hot weather it is dry to the touch, in humid weather it can be slightly slimy.
Leg (height 9-19 cm): white or light gray, often with small scales. It tapers from bottom to top, has a cylindrical shape. Tubular layer: grayish.
Flesh: pink in the cap, bluish in the tubular layer, pink or green in the stem. In young mushrooms, it is dense, becomes looser over time. Has a sour smell.
Doubles: none.
When it grows: from late June to mid-September, often found in southern Russia.
Where to find it: In deciduous forests, especially near birches, oaks and poplars.
Eating: only young mushrooms, as old ones are tough. As a last resort, you can use hats. The multi-colored boletus is very tasty dried and pickled.
Application in traditional medicine: not applicable.
Other names: multicolored obabok.
