Boletus sensibilis (“Curry Bolete”)

Smells like curry. Yellow pores, yellow flesh, red-brown cap, & yellow stem (which may have pink/red by base) all blue instantly & profoundly.

SKU: Boletus sensibilis Categories: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Description

Genus: Boletus

Species: sensibilis

Common Name: “Curry Bolete”

Tells: Smells like curry. Yellow pores, yellow flesh, red-brown cap, & yellow stem (which may have pink/red by base) all blue instantly & profoundly.

Other Information: The stem occasionally has fine netting on top. Blue-stained pores can eventually fade to reddish brown.

Edibility: Iffy, but only recently promoted there. Bottom line: many reliable foragers are known to eat and enjoy this mushroom, and all recent reports on the Internet take that view. Nevertheless, older books unanimously listed it as a sick-maker and received lore deserves a certain amount of respect. We have promoted it to “iffy” based on BENA and those online discussions, but nevertheless urge a bit of skepticism, thorough cooking, and some care to start with small portions.

CHEMICAL TESTS:

  • NH4OH (Ammonia): Cap skin and flesh both turn yellow.
  • KOH: Cap skin and flesh both turn yellow.
  • FeSO4 (Iron Salts): Cap skin turns greenish-gray. Cap flesh turns yellow-orange to yellow-brown.

Links:

National Audubon Society Field guide to Mushrooms, Gary Lincoff 567 Mushrooms of West Virginia and the Central Appalachians 316

319

North American Boletes 157 150

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