Leccinum insigne
Photo coming
Aspen bolete vs king bolete
Aspen boletes have dark scabers on the stem and grow under aspen. King boletes have a fine white net on the stem and flesh that never darkens.
Bitter bolete vs king bolete: how to tell them apart
Quick answer
The bitter bolete's pores turn pink to pinkish brown with age, and its stem carries a coarse net darker brown than the stem; the king bolete's pores go from white to yellow and olive-yellow, never pink, and its net is fine and white, mostly near the top. Young bitter boletes have white pores, so in a very young specimen the spore print is the difference: pinkish brown for the bitter bolete, olive-brown for the king.
Toxicity
How toxic is the bitter bolete?
The bitter bolete (Tylopilus felleus) is not recorded as a dangerous poison. The Missouri Department of Conservation lists it as not recommended and not edible, and MushroomExpert.com describes its taste as extremely bitter. Its bitterness can make a collection unusable.
Side by side
The tell for each
Inedible lookalike
The tellA brown bolete with pinkish pores and a coarse, dark brown net on the stem.
Edible
The tellA brown bun-shaped cap over white to olive-yellow pores that do not bruise blue, on a fat stem with fine white netting near the top.
How they differ
| Feature | Bitter Bolete | King Bolete |
|---|---|---|
| Pores | Bitter BoleteWhite at first, then pink to pinkish brown. | King BoleteWhite, then yellow to olive-yellow; never pink, not bruising blue. |
| Stem net | Bitter BoleteCoarse net, darker brown than the stem. | King BoleteFine white net, mostly on the upper stem. |
| Spore print | Bitter BoletePinkish to pinkish brown. | King BoleteOlive-brown. |
| Taste recorded in field guides | Bitter BoleteExtremely bitter, which sets it apart from most other boletes. | King BoleteNot bitter. |
| Habitat | Bitter BoleteHardwood and mixed forests, often with hemlock, and near very rotted stumps. | King BoleteUnder spruce, pine, fir and hemlock, and with some hardwoods. |
| Range | Bitter BoleteEastern North America, east of the Rocky Mountains. | King BoleteNorthern North America and the western mountains, with related king boletes elsewhere. |
FAQ
Common questions
Is the bitter bolete poisonous?
It is not recorded as seriously toxic. Field guides list it as inedible because of its extreme bitterness.
How do you tell a king bolete from a bitter bolete?
Pink pores and a coarse, dark brown net on the stem mean bitter bolete. White to olive-yellow pores and a fine white net near the top of the stem mean king bolete.
Can you tell them apart in a photo?
Usually, if the pores and stem are both in the picture. Young specimens of both have white pores, and those are hard to separate from a photo.
Sources
Where these facts come from
- Tylopilus felleus
MushroomExpert.com
- Boletus edulis
MushroomExpert.com
- Bitter Bolete
Missouri Department of Conservation
- Boletus edulis, king bolete (Mushrooms Up!)
Beaty Biodiversity Museum, University of British Columbia
Keep checking
Read both pages in full
- More on the bitter bolete
- More on the king bolete
- Not sure it is either? Narrow it down with the identification key
This page states what field guides record. It is not advice to eat, taste or handle anything, and a photo cannot settle edibility. If someone has eaten a wild mushroom that may be toxic, call poison control (1-800-222-1222 in the US) right away, before symptoms start: the deadliest species act hours later.
More comparisons
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