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Suillus brevipes [ Basidiomycetes > Boletales > Suillaceae > Suillus . . . ] by Ron Meyers With no native conifers other than red cedar, Kansas has few boletes. Probably the most common, especially in the summer and late into the fall, is Suillus brevipes. But while some of the other boletes are native to Kansas, this one was introduced with imported landscaping and Christmas trees. "Brevipes" means short-footed, and Suillus brevipes certainly fits the description. It is so close to the ground that the mowing of yards and Christmas tree farms usually leaves the mushroom intact, and it could be mistaken for a fallen leaf on the ground. This may be a beneficial adaptation as far as surviving to maturity, but it would seem to be a disadvantage in dispersing spores. While short specimens are typical, the species is variable and longer stemmed examples are not that unusual. Suillus brevipes is a tasty edible if you want to go to the trouble of removing the slimy skin and the mushy tubes. What is left is very good, but whether or not it is worth the effort probably depends on how hungry you are for wild mushrooms. Suillus brevipes has a fairly long fruiting season, and it is one of the last mushrooms found during the year. My photos were taken in mid-November, and I have frequently spotted older specimens while shopping for live Christmas trees just after Thanksgiving. Description: Ecology: Mycorrhizal with pines or white spruce; growing scattered or densely gregariously; late summer and fall; widely distributed (reported from north to south on both coasts, and from Texas and Kansas). In Kansas we find it under white, Scotch, and Austrian pine; in the west it is abundant under lodgepole pine and bishop pine. Cap: 5-10 cm; convex becoming broadly convex or flat; slimy; smooth; dark brown to yellow brown, cinnamon, or rust-brown, fading to dull cinnamon and sometimes in age a dingy yellowish brown; margin incurved at first, sometimes lobed with age. Pore Surface: Pale yellow, darkening to dingy yellow and finally olive brown; 1-2 circular pores per mm; tubes to about 1 cm deep. Stem: 2-7 cm long; 1-2 cm thick; typically short; equal to slightly enlarged below; white at first, becoming pale yellow; glandular dots absent or not well developed; without a ring. Flesh: Thick; white, becoming yellow in age; soft; not staining when sliced. Odor and Taste: Not distinctive. Chemical Reactions: Ammonia purplish on cap surface; pinkish to negative on flesh. KOH dark gray to black on cap surface; lilac to gray on flesh. Iron salts olive on flesh. Spore Print: Brown to dull cinnamon. Microscopic Features: Spores 7-10 x 3 µ; smooth; subfusoid. REFERENCES: (Peck, 1885) Kuntze, 1898. (Coker & Beers, 1943; Singer, 1945; Smith & Thiers, 1964; Snell & Dick, 1970; Smith & Thiers, 1971; Thiers, 1975; Grund & Harrison, 1976; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1981; Weber & Smith, 1985; Arora, 1986; States, 1990; Phillips, 1991/2005; Lincoff, 1992; Both, 1993; Evenson, 1997; Barron, 1999; Bessette, Roody & Bessette, 2000; McNeil, 2006; Miller & Miller, 2006; Ortiz-Santana et al., 2007.) Herb. Kuo 08130708. Suillus brevipes is distinguished from similar mushrooms by its smooth, shiny, dark brown or reddish brown cap; the lack of a partial veil, and lack of obvious glandular dots on the stem. Suillus granulatus has a distinctly glandular-dotted stem; Suillus pungens has an olive-gray cap; Suillus pseudobrevipes has a veil. Further Online Information: Suillus brevipes in Smith & Thiers, 1971 |
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Cite this page as: Meyers, R. (2004, November). Suillus brevipes. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/suillus_brevipes.html |