The boletus mushroom is one of the most common species of the Boletov family. Among the most common types of boletus are white oak mushroom (sometimes it is called net boletus), bronze boletus and girlish boletus. All these mushrooms have long been used for food, and in our times they are delicacies, since the halo of their distribution has significantly decreased.
Below you will find a photo and description of the boletus mushroom, information about the places of their growth and recommendations for the use of these mushrooms in cooking.
What does bronze boletus look like
Category: edible.
Cap of the bronze boletus (Boletus aereus) (diameter 6-16 cm): brown or brown, often almost black. It has the shape of a hemisphere, in old mushrooms it becomes flat.
Leg (height 6-12.5 cm): lighter than the cap, occasionally reddish. Has a cylindrical shape, less often clavate or barrel-shaped, dense and hard. Tapers slightly from bottom to top.
Tubular layer: light brown or beige, turns greenish when pressed. Depending on the age of the mushroom, it can be creamy or yellowish in color. The pores are very small and rounded.
Pay attention to the photo and description of the boletus pulp: like the white oak mushroom, it is white, dense and very fleshy.
When it grows: late May to early October in Europe and North America.
Where can you find it: in warm deciduous forests (oak, beech, hornbeam).
Eating: has excellent taste in any form – boiled, fried, dried, salted.
Application in traditional medicine: not applicable.
Other names: dark bronze porcini mushroom, copper porcini mushroom, hornbeam porcini mushroom, chestnut porcini mushroom, oak mushroom, rudyak. How the boletus of this species looks can be judged by its French name: in France, in addition to the traditional 'bronze' mushroom, it has a name that has recently been banned in European literature – 'the head of a negro' (tete de negre).
According to the description, the mushroom boletus is similar to the gall fungus (Tylopilus felleus), but its tubular layer has a pinkish tint.
Boletus mushroom girlish
Category: edible.
As you can see in the photo, the boletus mushroom (Boletus appendiculatus) has a cap with a diameter of 7-18 cm. Its color is brownish-golden, less often with a reddish tint, almost flat, sometimes slightly convex in the center. The edges are usually slightly curved inward.
Leg (height 8-16 cm): lighter than the cap, along the entire length with a yellowish mesh, which is practically absent in old mushrooms. The lower part is highly pointed.
Tubular layer: bright yellow.
Pay attention to the photo of boletus pulp: it is lemon-colored, when pressed or at the cut point, it turns a little blue. Very tight. Has a pleasant aroma.
Doubles: semi-white mushroom (Boletus impolitus), rooted boletus (Boletus radicans) and inedible (Boletus calopus). A raw semi-white mushroom has a sharp carbolic smell. The leg of the rooting boletus is thicker, and the cap is noticeably lighter or paler. The inedible boletus can be easily distinguished by its brightly colored leg.
When it grows: late June to mid-October in southern Europe.
Where to find it: Usually in mixed forests. Prefers the neighborhood with oaks and beeches.
Eating: according to mushroom pickers, it is inferior in taste to porcini mushroom, but still good for food.
Application in traditional medicine: not applicable.
Other names: rooted boletus, reddish boletus, brown-yellow pain.
White oak mushroom (net) and its photo
Category: edible.
Boletus cap (Boletus reticulatus) (diameter 7-25 cm): yellow to brownish brown. In young mushrooms, it is hemispherical, becoming convex over time. Velvety to the touch.
Leg (height 3-11 cm): yellowish or light brown, lighter than the cap, usually with a network of small veins, but in young mushrooms it can be almost smooth. Tapering from bottom to top, thick, dense and fleshy.
The photo of the white oak mushroom shows that its tubular layer changes color depending on the age of the mushroom from white to greenish or olive. The pores are large and rounded.
Flesh: White, firm and very fleshy, with a sweet nutty flavor.
Twins: edible representatives of the Boletov family and the gall fungus (Tylopilus felleus), which has a dark mesh on the stem, as well as a pinkish tubular layer.
When it grows: from late May to mid-autumn in the Krasnodar Territory and the neighboring republics of Russia, as well as in the countries of the Eurasian continent with a temperate climate. Less common in North America and North Africa.
Where can you find it: on alkaline soils of deciduous forests, most often next to beeches or chestnuts, and from mushrooms – with grainy-footed oak tree.
Eating: almost any form – boiled, fried, dried or salted.
Application in traditional medicine: not applicable.
Other names: white oak mushroom, white summer mushroom, net boletus.
