Cap
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This species is characterised by a shallow,
convex grey-yellow or brownish cap that soon crazes to reveal a thin layer
of red flesh below the cap skin.
4 to 10 cm in diameter when fully expanded, the caps have very little
substance and the thin flesh blues very slightly when cut.
Young specimens often have dark downy caps and might easily be mistaken
for Bay Boletes (Xerocomus badius). |
Tubes and Pores
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The yellow tubes terminate in large, angular
pores that are lemon yellow at first but turn greenish with age.
When bruised, the pores of mature specimens turn dark blue. |
Stipe
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The stem, which has no ring, is bright yellow and the lower part is covered
in coral-red fibrils that give it a 'stick of rhubarb' appearance.
When cut, the cream stem flesh turns blue near the base of the stem.
10 to 15 mm in diameter and 4 to 8 cm tall, the stem is more or less
constant in diameter throughout its length. |
Spore print |
Olivaceous brown. |
Odour/taste |
Not distinctive. |
Habitat |
This mycorrhizal species is often found beneath hardwoods, notably beech and hazel, but it is also found occasionally in coniferous forests, particularly beside
footpaths (where it may be attached to the roots of deciduous trees growing there). |
Season |
mainly in August to November, but occasionaly much earlier in the year. |
Occurrence |
Very common. |
Similar species |
- Xerocomus parasiticus (Boletus parasiticus) has a yellow stem without red fibrils,
and it occurs only with the Common Earthball (Scleroderma citrinum)
upon which it is parasitic.
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