How to identify Bay Bolete

To correctly identify Bay Bolete (Neoboletus subtomentosus), 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 typically 5-15 cm (2-6 inches) in diameter, convex to broadly convex, becoming flatter with age. The color ranges from bay-brown to chestnut-brown, sometimes with reddish or olive tints. The surface is finely velvety or felted when young, becoming smoother with age, and often slightly sticky in wet weather. The margin is usually incurved when young.

2. 2

   Gills

   Attachment to stem, color, and spacing.

   Instead of gills, the Bay Bolete has a pore surface. The pores are small, angular, and initially pale yellow, becoming greenish-yellow to olive-yellow with age. They bruise blue-green when touched or damaged. The tubes are adnate to depressed around the stem, 1-2 cm deep.

3. 3

   Stem

   Length, shape, surface, and any ring.

   The stem is 5-12 cm (2-5 inches) long and 1-3 cm (0.4-1.2 inches) thick, typically cylindrical or slightly club-shaped, often tapering towards the base. The color is yellowish to brownish, often paler than the cap, and can have fine reddish-brown fibrils or reticulation (net-like pattern) near the apex, though this is often faint or absent. It does not have a prominent net-like pattern (reticulation) like some other boletes.

4. 4

   Flesh

   Color, texture, and bruising reaction.

   The flesh is whitish to pale yellow, firm when young, becoming softer with age. It stains blue when cut or bruised, particularly above the tubes, though the bluing can be subtle or absent in some specimens.

5. 5

   Fruiting body

   Overall growth pattern.

   The fruiting body is a typical bolete shape, consisting of a cap, pores, and a stem.

6. 6

   Habitat

   Where it grows and on what substrate.

   Mycorrhizal, forming associations with various trees, primarily conifers (especially pine, spruce, and fir) and sometimes deciduous trees (like oak and beech). It grows solitarily or scattered on the ground in coniferous, mixed, and deciduous forests.

Key Facts

Cap surfaces

Velvety to smooth, sometimes slightly sticky

Growth Form

Solitary or scattered

Spore Print

Olive-brown

Body color

Bay-brown cap, yellowish pores, yellowish-brown stem

Odor

Mild, pleasant

Flesh bruises

Whitish to pale yellow, stains blue when cut or bruised (especially above pores)

Height

5-12 cm (2-5 inches)

Cap Diameter

5-15 cm (2-6 inches)

Fruit body characteristics

• Gill attachment: Pores, not gills; adnate to depressed
• Stem shape: Cylindrical or slightly club-shaped
• Stem surface: Smooth to finely fibrillose, sometimes with faint reddish-brown reticulation near apex
• Ring: Absent
• Stem cross-section: Solid

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