Edible
Chicken Fat Mushroom
Suillus americanus
The chicken fat mushroom is bright yellow with reddish streaks, has no true ring, and grows only with eastern white pine.
Slippery Jack
Suillus luteus
Edible, peel the cap
The slippery jack is a slimy-capped bolete that grows under pines, especially planted pines and pine plantations. Its brown slime layer and the purplish ring on its stem make it one of the easier boletes to recognize.
The tell
A slimy brown cap over yellow pores, and a large membranous ring that is purplish underneath, under pines.
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 5 inches across. Chocolate brown to reddish brown or yellowish brown, covered in a thick layer of slime when wet that dries shiny.
- Underside
- Pores instead of gills, small and yellow, becoming olive-yellow with age. They do not bruise blue.
- Stem
- Whitish to yellowish, with small glandular dots above the ring. A large, membranous ring is whitish on top and purplish to brownish underneath, and often collapses against the stem.
- Flesh
- White to pale yellow, not changing color when cut.
- Spore print
- Brown to cinnamon brown.
- Size
- Cap 2 to 5 inches (5 to 12 cm); stem 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 8 cm) tall.
Where and when
Where and when it grows
- Habitat
- On the ground under pines, especially Scots pine and other planted pines, in plantations, parks and yards.
- Grows on
- Soil, near the roots of pines.
- Season
- Late summer through fall.
- Range
- Widespread in North America under pines, most often planted pines; it has been introduced to many areas with pine plantings.
Lookalikes
What the slippery jack gets confused with
Each card says how to tell the two apart.
Other slimy Suillus species
Several Suillus species under pines have slimy brown caps. Many lack a ring, or have a ring that is not purplish underneath.
EdibleKing Bolete
Boletus edulis
The king bolete has a dry to slightly sticky cap without thick slime, a fat netted stem, and no ring.
Edibility
What the field guides say
Edible, peel the cap
Field guides list the slippery jack as edible. They note that the slimy cap skin has caused diarrhea and other digestive upset in some people, and that it is usually removed. Some people also react to the mushroom itself.
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 slippery jack
Is slippery jack poisonous?
Field guides list it as edible. They record digestive upset in some people, mostly attributed to the slimy skin on the cap, which is usually peeled off.
What does a slippery jack look like?
A brown, very slimy cap 2 to 5 inches across, yellow pores underneath, and a whitish stem with a large membranous ring that is purplish on its underside. It grows under pines.
Where does the slippery jack grow?
Under pines, especially planted pines such as Scots pine, in plantations, parks and yards. It has spread to many areas with pine plantings.
Sources
Where these facts come from
- Suillus luteus
MushroomExpert.com
- Suillus luteus
Index Fungorum
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