| Major Groups > Boletes > Boletus > Boletus spadiceus var. gracilis |
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Boletus spadiceus var. gracilis [ Basidiomycetes > Boletales > Boletaceae > Boletus . . . ] by Michael Kuo Although this little bolete is currently classified as a diminutive "variety" of Boletus spadiceus, I will side with boletologist Ernst Both (1993), who believes it "probably deserves specific rank." Yes, it has a brownish cap that flashes green when a drop of ammonia is applied--and yes, its overall colors are similar to Boletus spadiceus. But its stature is completely different from that of the fairly stocky type variety and, more importantly, it is a mycorrhizal partner with hardwoods in eastern North America rather than associating with conifers in northern and montane areas. Boletus spadiceus var. gracilis is probably edible, but there is no established record of its edibility. Since it is rather small and soft-fleshed (and rare), I don't recommend experimenting. Description: Ecology: Mycorrhizal with hardwoods; growing alone, scattered, or gregariously; summer and fall; widely distributed from the Great Plains eastward. Cap: 2-8 cm; convex, becoming broadly convex or almost flat; dry; finely velvety; yellowish brown to dull brown or reddish brown. Pore Surface: Yellow, becoming olive yellow; sometimes bruising reddish brown; pores angular, especially near the stem, 1-2 mm wide; tubes to about 1.5 cm deep. Stem: 3-6 cm long; up to 1 cm thick; more or less equal; solid; yellowish underneath fine reddish brown hairs and granules; not reticulate; basal mycelium yellow. Flesh: Whitish in the cap; yellow in the stem; not staining on exposure, or staining faintly bluish. Odor and Taste: Pleasant; not distinctive. Chemical Reactions: Ammonia flashing green to blue-green on cap surface, then resolving to reddish brown; flashing greenish on flesh, then resolving to negative. KOH purple on cap surface; orangish on flesh. Iron salts olive on cap surface; olive on flesh. Spore Print: Olive brown. Microscopic Features: Spores 9-13 x 3.5-4.5 µ; smooth; subfusiform; yellow in KOH. Hymenial trama amyloid when first mounted. Hymenial cystidia fusoid-ventricose to fusoid; hyaline in KOH; to about REFERENCES: Smith & Thiers, 1971. (Smith & Thiers, 1971; Both, 1993; Bessette, Roody & Bessette, 2000.) Herb. Kuo 07080702. Further Online Information: Boletus spadiceus var. gracilis in Smith & Thiers, 1971 |
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Cite this page as: Kuo, M. (2007, December). Boletus spadiceus var. gracilis. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/boletus_spadiceus_gracilis.html |