Bolete

[flaxton]

With its dark stipe and darker cap under oak could this be B aereus?



Thanks

Mal

Ps Thought I'd seen the last of this fellow for this year

[SheffieldLass]

I'd be interested to know how one separates B aereus from B edulis from B reticulatus with complete certainty. Looking at the cap cells is supposed to be a way (according to Funga Nordica), but I'm not sure just how obvious the differences are, or indeed whether weather conditions affect how the cells behave when squashed in KOH.

I've found in recent days in one spot some extremely dark, almost black capped boletes (when they are youngish, though they get a bit lighter as they age) with quite a dusky reticulated stipe. Very handsome. Close to oak, but with birch, pine, spruce also nearby, so could be with any of those ... and then there are plenty of B edulis that look like typical B edulis in the general area. I remember seeing very dark ones in the exact spot last year, so they do seem to be consistent from year to year. I've been meaning to check them, but with something more pressing that is taken my time, not had a chance to look at the cap cells. These didn't seem to be too badly affected with maggots, unlike the B edulis I've been finding, that are riddled with the things even as their caps are just lifting the soil up ...

I've also found quite a few 'cep' type boletes, but their cap is dry to the touch (and lip test) rather than greasy. Again in a habitat which has pine, spruce, birch and oak and beech, just to make it difficult ... I did have a look at cells of the cap of one of these and the cells did spread out easily, but I wasn't totally convinced. Given how drying it can be when the sun is out I'm not sure if the dry feel and cracking is just from that.

I read somewhere that if you put ammonia on the flesh of B aereus then it turned reddish. I know this is true for B pinophilus, but not read it anywhere else for B aereus, so it might be misinformation ....

Melanie

[Andy Overall]

Originally Posted by flaxton

With its dark stipe and darker cap under oak could this be B aereus?



Thanks

Mal

Ps Thought I'd seen the last of this fellow for this year

Second wave of Laetiporus - I have spied two over as many days on trees that didn't produce during the first wave during April/May.
I think we might be seeing a number of these second comings as we move into autumn, within various genera. The Russula seem at their optimum down here at present but I suspect they will rise again, should we not hit winter prematurely.

Andy

[flaxton]

Confirmed as B aereus

Mal

[fairplay]

Well done Mal, that's one Bolete I have yet to find.

Neil.

[SheffieldLass]

Originally Posted by flaxton

Confirmed as B aereus

Mal

How?

[Andy Overall]

Originally Posted by SheffieldLass

How?

Good question.

Andy

[flaxton]

Alan Hills

[SheffieldLass]

That's cheating!

[flaxton]

Originally Posted by SheffieldLass

I'd be interested to know how one separates B aereus from B edulis from B reticulatus with complete certainty. Looking at the cap cells is supposed to be a way (according to Funga Nordica), but I'm not sure just how obvious the differences are, or indeed whether weather conditions affect how the cells behave when squashed in KOH.



Melanie

I have never been sure myself. If you read FOS it says (at the time of publication) "the differences in the colour or ecology are the principal characters used to classify. Thus early appearing fruit bodies near hardwoods - B reticulatus those near pine with black/brown cap B pinophilus and those under oak with dark brown cap and brown stipe B aereus.

That is mirrored in Kibby's book. Pileus chocolate brown... stem brown with fine brown reticulum under oak = aereus
Pileus paler... stem pale tan with fine white reticulum = reticulatus
Pileus dark red-brown stem reddish-brown with pines = pinophilus
Pileus rich reddish brown stem with white reticulum = edulis

Still not easy but hey ho.

Mal