Porphyrellus porphyrosporus (“Dusky Bolete”)

Description

Name in North American Boletes: Tylopilus pseudoscaber

Genus: Porphyrellus

• Genus 2: Tylopilus

Species: porphyrosporus

• Species 2: pseudoscaber

Common Name: Dusky Bolete

• Common Name 2: Dark Bolete

Tells: Dark brown stem, often w/white base that can smell of chlorine. Dark red- to black-brown pores stain green-blue but resolve to brown. Odd smell.

Other Information: Dark brown, often-cracked cap. White cap flesh smells pungent (clove-like or resembling coal tar) & stains blue (sometimes slowly), before resolving to red-brown & then gray-brown or gray black. May grow on well-decayed logs & stumps. A special tell: Wrap the mushroom in wax paper for an hour and the paper will stain blue.

Science Notes: DNA testing moved this mushroom into the newly erected genus “Porphyrellus.” There is an ongoing name debate between porphyrosporus and pseudoscaber. At one time they were thought to be two lookalike species with porphyrosporus growing under deciduous trees and having flesh that stains, versus pseudoscaber that grew under conifers with cap flesh that DNS. At this point they are considered to be one species with a fair amount of variation, but it’s an uncommon mushroom to begin with and I don’t know how many specimens were sampled. To that extent the name remains up in the air.

Edibility: Unknown.

CHEMICAL TESTS:

• NH4OH (Ammonia): Cap skin turns mahogany-red. Cap flesh has no reaction.
• KOH: Cap skin turns mahogany-red. Cap flesh turns dull orange.
• FeSO4 (Iron Salts): Cap skin has no reaction. Cap flesh turns green.

Links:

• Mushroom Expert
• Mushroom Observer
• Wikipedia
• Google Image Search

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