Boletus rubellus - Ruby Bolete

Taxonomy

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Boletus rubellus, the Ruby Bolete, is a very pretty little mushroom, and usually it fruits in groups or rows. It is frequently found on woodland edges, in clearings and in low-neutrient grassland in parks and gardens beneath deciduous trees, particularly oaks.

Although edible, these little mushrooms are prone to maggot infestation - and in any case they are not particularly common and so best left for others to enjoy.

Identification guide

	Cap 3-8cm across, broadly convex and then flattening, occasionally with a slight central depression; scarlet red at first, fading to an olivaceous red at maturity and usually with a yellowish marginal band; surface dry and velvety.
	Tubes and Pores The tubes are dull yellow and terminate in lemon-yellow pores that become greenish with age. When bruised, the pores and tubes slowly turn blue.
Stem	4 to 8cm long and 4 to 8mm diameter, cylindrical; bright yellow at the apex, and progressively more red towards the base. The stem flesh is pale yellow and turns blue when cut.
Spore print	Olive-brown.
Odour/taste	Faint pleasant smell; no significant taste.
Habitat	On soil beneath trees, notably beech and less commonly oak.
Season	Early July to the end of September.
Occurrence	Occasional; usually in groups of typically 3 to 10.
Similar species	This is one of a complex of similar species that can be separated only by microscopic analysis (and even then determination can be far from certain).