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Boletus parasiticus [ Basidiomycetes > Boletales > Boletaceae > Boletus . . . ] by Michael Kuo Here is one bolete species, at least, that is a cinch to identify: it parasitizes the earthball Scleroderma citrinum, growing right out of its body! There are many other examples of parasitism in the mushroom world (see the Key to Mycotrophs for examples), but none of the other cases involves a bolete popping out of a puffball. If you were to separate Boletus parasiticus from its host, however, you would have a pretty non-descript little bolete with a yellowish brown cap and a honey-yellow pore surface. In this case the application of a drop of KOH on the stem would probably help distinguish the mushroom (see below), as would the presence of many tiny, dark fibers on the stem, which almost look like the scabers found in Leccinum species. Boletus parasiticus is edible, but its host is poisonous. I don't recommend it, but that may be because I've had an awful experience with accidental poisoning from the host (see Scleroderma citrinum for the whole story). Anyway, Boletus parasiticus is a fairly insubstantial species, and is probably only rarely found in quantities sufficient for culinary experiments. Description: Ecology: Parasitic on Scleroderma citrinum, which is mycorrhizal with hardwoods and conifers; most frequently found, in my experience, when the host is growing in mossy areas in low-lying Eastern Hemlock bogs; growing alone or in small clusters; summer and fall; fairly widely distributed in eastern North America but most common in the Appalachian Mountains. Cap: 2-8 cm; convex, becoming broadly convex; dry; smooth; margin rolled under when young; yellowish brown to olive. Pore Surface: Yellow to olive; not bruising but sometimes staining slowly dirty brown to reddish brown; pores 1-2 mm wide; tubes to 6 mm deep. Stem: 3-6 cm long; .5-1.5 cm thick; more or less equal; often curved; dry; solid; colored more or less like the cap; covered with tiny yellowish brown fibers. Flesh: Pale yellow; not staining on exposure. Odor and Taste: Not distinctive. Chemical Reactions: Cap orange brown to red or reddish brown with KOH or ammonia. Flesh instantly dark orange with KOH, olive green with iron salts. Stem surface instantly cinnabar orange with KOH. Spore Print: Olive brown. Microscopic Features: Spores 12-18.5 x 3.5-5 µ; smooth; long-elliptical. REFERENCES: Bulliard, 1790. (Fries, 1821; Saccardo, 1888; Coker & Beers, 1943; Singer, 1945; Snell & Dick, 1970; Smith & Thiers, 1971; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1981; Weber & Smith, 1985; Phillips, 1991/2005; Lincoff, 1992; Both, 1993; Barron, 1999; Bessette, Roody & Bessette, 2000; Roody, 2003; McNeil, 2006; Miller & Miller, 2006; Kuo, 2007.) Herb. Kuo 09029503, 08180606. Xerocomus parasiticus is a synonym, as is Pseudoboletus parasiticus. Questions: How does this mushroom survive? What I mean is, after it has distributed its spores, what happens to them? Do they float around in the air currents for years, waiting for earthballs to appear so they can dive-bomb and germinate? Do they land in substrate that contains earthball mycelium, then camp out, waiting for the earthball organism to make fuiting bodies? Or does Boletus parasiticus parasitize Scleroderma citrinum even in the mycelium--do the mycelia of the two species grow together? Further Online Information: Boletus parasiticus in Smith & Thiers, 1971 |
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Cite this page as: Kuo, M. (2003, February). Boletus parasiticus. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/boletus_parasiticus.html |