Boletus patrioticus (“Patriotic Bolete”)

Cap context: red zone by skin, white (or pale yellow) flesh, turns blue. Get it? Also tastes sour. Blue-bruising yellow pores age darker. Oft-pink upper stem.

SKU: Boletus patrioticus Categories: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Description

Genus: Boletus

Species: patrioticus

  • Species: communis

Common Name: “Patriotic Bolete”

Tells: Cap context: red zone by skin, white (or pale yellow) flesh, turns blue. Get it? Also tastes sour. Blue-bruising yellow pores age darker. Oft-pink upper stem.

Other Information: Velvety tan-olive baby-cap soon ages to red (from pinkish- to brick- or dark-), often w/browner olive- or tarnished-brass tints by the edge. Stem typically rosy pink-red high & olive low on a yellowish ground color, but can vary greatly. Whitish to pale yellow mycelium. A typically Southern species, DNA-confirmed specimens have recently been found as far north as New Jersey.

Edibility: Good.

CHEMICAL TESTS:

  • NH4OH (Ammonia): Cap surface turns olive-amber. Cap flesh turns pale orange-yellow.
  • KOH: Cap surface turns olive-brown. Cap flesh turns pale orange-yellow.
  • FeSO4 (Iron Salts): Cap surface turns olive-gray. Cap flesh turns pale orange-yellow.

Links:

National Audubon Society Field guide to Mushrooms, Gary Lincoff 0 Mushrooms of West Virginia and the Central Appalachians 0 North American Boletes 137 133

Got something to discuss?


Guest
Randy
4 years 3 months ago

Found just one in Richmond Hill, GA today, 2nd of July 2020.

Guest
Jason Rockhold
3 years 6 days ago

I was trying to get a confirmation on the patriot in alabama.

Support
Scott Pavelle
3 years 5 days ago

This is a relatively new species. Confirmed finds stretch down the east coast, over to Louisiana, and along the Gulf of Mexico into eastern Texas. We do not have a 100% confirmed ID in either Alabama or Mississippi, but it would be astonishing if patrioticus isn’t there to be found.

Guest
Rob Dornbush
1 year 1 month ago

Several of these have popped up today in my front yard in Central Florida (Winter Park). Positive ID using “Picture Mushroom” app 22 Aug 2023.

Guest
Terry Barnes
1 year 1 month ago

I found two nice ones yesterday and more are growing. Mushroom id group on Facebook confirm but still pending approval for boletes group.

Are there any dangerous/toxic lookalikes?