Cyanoboletus bessettei (“Swamp Fox”)

Description

Name in North American Boletes: N/A

Genus: Cyanoboletus

Species: bessettei

Common Name: The Swamp Fox

Tells: Reddish- or buff-brown cap pales from the edge in. Pale yellow cap flesh slowly bruises blue–green, fading to peach & then pinkish orange. Unpleasant chemical odor, also described as “green corn.”

Other Information: Cap bruises blue green, changing to olive green & then brown. Cap may taste taste slightly acidic. Pale yellow or buff pores bruise blue–green, fading to olive. Stem is reddish brown below, pale yellow high, pinches at the base & may have vertical striations. Pale yellow stem flesh slowly bruises blue–green higher up, fading to bright chrome yellow. White mycelium. Has been found in an area of mixed oak and pine, in the fall, and in deciduous woods in June.

Science Notes: A new species first published in 2021. The name honors mycologist Alan E. Bessette. An extraordinarily rare species first found in the Francis Marion National Forest in South Carolina (hence the common name). See also the DNA-confirmed Mississippi find at MO 447386.

Edibility: Unknown.

CHEMICAL TESTS:

NH4OH (Ammonia): Cap skin turns amber with an expanding blue–green outer ring. Flesh turns yellow, then pale orange.
KOH: Cap skin turns dark amber. Flesh turns yellow, then pale orange.
FeSO4 (Iron Salts): Cap skin turns pale olive. Flesh has no reaction

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