Edible
King Bolete
Boletus edulis
The king bolete's pores go from white to olive-yellow, never pink, and its stem has a fine white net rather than a coarse brown one.
Bitter Bolete
Tylopilus felleus
Inedible lookalike
Also called bitter tylopilus.
The bitter bolete is a large brown bolete that looks enough like a king bolete to fool people, until the pores turn pink. It is not known to be dangerous, but it is so bitter that field guides list it as inedible.
The tell
A brown bolete with pinkish pores and a coarse, dark brown net on the stem.
Field marks
What to look at
Cap, underside and stem show in a photo. The spore print does not, and it is often the deciding check.
- Cap
- Convex, flattening with age, 2 to 6 inches across or larger. Tan to light brown or reddish brown, dry and smooth to slightly velvety.
- Underside
- Pores instead of gills. Whitish when young, becoming pink to pinkish brown, sometimes bruising brownish.
- Stem
- Thick, often swollen at the base, colored like the cap or paler, with a coarse net pattern that is darker brown than the stem itself. No ring.
- Flesh
- White, thick, not bruising blue. Taste documented as intensely bitter.
- Spore print
- Pinkish to pinkish brown.
- Size
- Cap 2 to 6 inches (5 to 15 cm), sometimes larger; stem 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm) tall.
Where and when
Where and when it grows
- Habitat
- On the ground in hardwood and mixed forests, especially with hemlock, oak and beech. Often near or on very decayed stumps and logs.
- Grows on
- Soil and well-rotted wood near host trees.
- Season
- Summer through fall.
- Range
- Eastern North America, east of the Rocky Mountains.
Lookalikes
What the bitter bolete gets confused with
Each card says how to tell the two apart.
EdibleBay Bolete
Imleria badia
The bay bolete has pale yellow pores that bruise blue-green and a smooth stem with no netting.
Leccinum insigne
Photo coming
Edible, upsets some peopleAspen Bolete
Leccinum insigne
Leccinum species have stems covered in small dark scabers rather than a net pattern, and their caps are often orange.
Edibility
What the field guides say
Inedible lookalike
Field guides list the bitter bolete as inedible because of its intense bitterness, which persists through cooking. It is not known to be seriously toxic. One specimen can make a whole dish of other boletes inedibly bitter, which is why guides describe it alongside the king bolete.
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.
FAQ
Questions about the bitter bolete
Is the bitter bolete poisonous?
It is not known to be seriously toxic, but field guides list it as inedible because its flesh is intensely bitter, and the bitterness does not cook out.
How do you identify a bitter bolete?
Look for a brown cap, pores that turn pinkish with age, a stem covered in a coarse net that is darker brown than the stem, and a pinkish-brown spore print. The flesh does not bruise blue.
What is the difference between a bitter bolete and a king bolete?
Bitter bolete pores turn pink and its stem has a coarse, dark brown net. King bolete pores stay white to olive-yellow and its net is fine and white, usually only near the top of the stem.
Sources
Where these facts come from
- Tylopilus felleus
MushroomExpert.com
- Bitter Bolete
Missouri Department of Conservation
- Tylopilus felleus
Index Fungorum
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