Boletus luridiformis - Scarletina Bolete

Taxonomy

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Boletus luridiformis (syn. Boletus erythropus) is edible but easily confused with poisonous species such as Boletus luridus.

Occurring in deciduous woodland and pine forests, this red-gilled bolete is often found among bilberries.

When damaged the flesh of this mushroom turns blue very quickly, as can be seen in the Flash movie shown below:

	Cap The cap colour of this often massive bolete is very variable. It can be dark chocolate brown, pale brown or even, as in this fine specimen, coppery bronze. The cap flesh is yellow, rapidly bluing when cut or bruised. Caps are initially downy and convex, becoming flatter, smooth and shiny as the fruitbody matures. The diameter at maturity varies between 8 and 20cm. Tubes and Pores Orange at first, the round, crowded pores soon become bright red and then rusty brown with age. The spore tubes are lemon yellow, but they very quickly turn blue-green when cut or bruised.
Stem	Apart from a pale area near the apex, a pattern of tiny red dots covers most of the stem of this mushroom. (A hand lens may be necessary to distinguish the separate dots on some specimens.) Typically 2 to 4cm in diameter and more or less parallel sided, stems range between 7 and 15cm tall and have yellow flesh that instantly turns blue-green when cut or bruised.
Spore print	Olive-brown.
Odour/taste	Not distinctive.
Habitat	On acid soils under conifers and occasionally deciduous trees, most often at the edge of a wood or a clearing.
Season	August to October.
Occurrence	Fairly frequent.
Similar species	Boletus luridus is similar but has a red net pattern on its stem; it is a poisonous mushroom. Boletus satanas has a bulbous stem covered in a bright red net pattern on a yellow background; it is poisonous.