How to identify Red-footed Bolete

To correctly identify Red-footed Bolete (Neoboletus erythropus), 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.

   5-20 cm (2-8 inches) in diameter, convex to broadly convex, sometimes becoming nearly flat with age. The color ranges from dark brown, reddish-brown, to olive-brown, often with a velvety or finely tomentose (hairy) surface when young, becoming smoother with age. The margin is usually incurved when young. It does not bruise blue on the cap surface.

2. 2

   Gills

   Attachment to stem, color, and spacing.

   Pore surface is bright yellow to orange-yellow, becoming more orange-red with age. Pores are small and round. They bruise instantly and intensely dark blue to blackish-blue upon touch. Tubes are concolorous with the pore surface, 1-2.5 cm deep, adnexed to depressed.

3. 3

   Stem

   Length, shape, surface, and any ring.

   5-15 cm (2-6 inches) long, 1.5-4 cm (0.6-1.6 inches) thick, stout, cylindrical to clavate (club-shaped) or ventricose (swollen in the middle). The background color is yellow, but it is densely covered with fine red to orange-red granules or punctations, giving it a reddish appearance. Crucially, it lacks a reticulate (net-like) pattern. The base may be slightly tapered or pointed. The flesh of the stem also stains blue when cut.

4. 4

   Flesh

   Color, texture, and bruising reaction.

   Pale yellow to yellowish-white, firm. Instantly and intensely stains dark blue when cut or bruised, especially in the cap and upper stem. This bluing reaction is a key identification feature.

5. 5

   Fruiting body

   Overall growth pattern.

   Robust, fleshy, and typically found growing solitarily or in small scattered groups.

6. 6

   Habitat

   Where it grows and on what substrate.

   Mycorrhizal with various deciduous and coniferous trees, often found under oak, beech, spruce, and fir. Prefers acidic to neutral soils.

Key Facts

Cap surfaces

Velvety to smooth, dark brown to reddish-brown

Growth Form

Solitary to scattered

Spore Print

Olive-brown

Body color

Dark brown cap, yellow pores, red-punctate stem

Odor

Mild

Flesh bruises

Instantly and intensely dark blue

Height

5-15 cm

Cap Diameter

5-20 cm

Fruit body characteristics

• Gill attachment: Adnexed to depressed (pores)
• Stem shape: Cylindrical, clavate, or ventricose
• Stem surface: Yellow background with dense red to orange-red punctations/granules, no reticulation
• Ring: Absent
• Stem cross-section: Solid

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