How to identify Red-mouthed Bolete

To correctly identify Red-mouthed Bolete (Boletus subvelutipes), check each of these features in order. Misidentification is the most common cause of mushroom poisoning, so cross-reference multiple sources.

Step-by-step identification

1. 1

   Cap

   Shape, color, surface texture, and diameter.

   The cap is 5-15 cm (2-6 inches) in diameter, convex to broadly convex, becoming nearly flat with age. The surface is dry, velvety to finely tomentose, sometimes becoming smooth. Color ranges from reddish-brown, dark brown, olive-brown, to sometimes yellowish-brown. It bruises dark blue to black when handled.

2. 2

   Gills

   Attachment to stem, color, and spacing.

   This mushroom has pores, not gills. The pore surface is initially yellow, quickly becoming orange-red to deep red, especially towards the margin. The pores are small and circular. They bruise dark blue to black instantly and intensely upon touch.

3. 3

   Stem

   Length, shape, surface, and any ring.

   The stem is 5-15 cm (2-6 inches) long and 1-3 cm (0.4-1.2 inches) thick, typically stout and solid. It is often yellow at the apex, becoming reddish or brownish towards the base. The surface can be smooth, finely pruinose, or sometimes with a fine, reddish reticulum (net-like pattern) near the apex, though this is often faint or absent. It bruises blue to black.

4. 4

   Flesh

   Color, texture, and bruising reaction.

   The flesh is thick, firm, and yellowish, especially in the cap. It stains dark blue instantly and intensely when cut or bruised, particularly in the cap and upper stem.

5. 5

   Fruiting body

   Overall growth pattern.

   The fruiting body is a typical bolete shape, robust and fleshy, with a distinct cap, pore surface, and stem.

6. 6

   Habitat

   Where it grows and on what substrate.

   Solitary to scattered or gregarious on the ground in deciduous and mixed forests, often associated with oak (Quercus) and sometimes other hardwoods or conifers.

Key Facts

Cap surfaces

Velvety to finely tomentose, dry.

Growth Form

Solitary to scattered or gregarious.

Spore Print

Olive-brown to brownish-olive.

Body color

Cap reddish-brown to olive-brown; pores red to orange-red; stem yellow to reddish; flesh yellowish.

Odor

Mild.

Flesh bruises

Instantly and intensely dark blue to black.

Height

5-15 cm (2-6 inches)

Cap Diameter

5-15 cm (2-6 inches)

Fruit body characteristics

• Gill attachment: Pores, not gills; adnate to depressed.
• Stem shape: Cylindrical to clavate (club-shaped), often tapering towards the base.
• Stem surface: Smooth, finely pruinose, or with a faint reddish reticulum near the apex.
• Ring: Absent.
• Stem cross-section: Solid.

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