Help identify Boletes ..and a few others

[Actionclaw]

I'll explain/ apologize in advance. I usually do try to use all available resources to do my own identification but I always tend to spend so much time trying to confirm an absolute ID that by the time I think I have a handle on it--assuming they were edible in the first place-- they're no longer any good. When I do get it narrowed down to only a couple possibilities it often ends up that one is edible, the other poisonous. I'm new to this and don't have sufficient experience to be confident in my identification skills.

I went out the other day for the first time this Fall and got lucky. I came across quite a few however, all are new to me.

What I thought particularly odd was that, in a fairly large forest/park --where I later found little to nothing else-- ALL of these were found growing in one small area, I'd guess approximately 60' or so diameter, that to me, appeared in no way different to the surrounding area.

I realize some are past their prime at the time the photo was taken (and especially now in the time it took me to take photos & write this) but your assistance in identification will still prove useful , to me and others, for future reference.

The area & conditions
Early September
Weather was 50-60s, I think it rained the night before

North-eastern Ohio (Cuyahoga County)
Habitat: forests/woods: On ground
Mostly Oak, some Maple (no white pine in the immediate area)


Yellow Boletes
I'm still trying and, as usual, was quickly overwhelmed. At this point. I've narrowed down my guesses to
Boletus bicolor
Boletus sensibilis
Suillus americanus


First large one I spotted from a distance I thought was a "chicken of the woods": very similar color scheme.

There were variations in colors of the tops: light brown, yellowish, tan, fleshy color. (Reminiscent of an omelet!)
All had Bright sulphury yellow below (as I recall, brighter, deeper than what appears in photo)

These range from tiny to a few inches across. Others (way too far gone) in the same place were about 9" or more diameter
These had parts that were damp or "mushy" but I wouldn't say "slippery" "slimey" as I've read Suillus described (plus, no pines in that area).


Some stained blue-blue-green, the other stained more of a brownish orange.
I neglected to record it and now I honestly don't remember cap, pores or both. (I didn't realize atthe time cutting the stem was another indicator)

Definitely some quickly stained blue underneath.

I'm not certain but I didn't notice traces a veil
No noticible smell
Used light and dark paper but, unless I didn't wait long enough, etc., I got no noticable spore prints



The other light colored (not-Yellow) Boletes

Off white, light brown
very similar to the others except for the color. I know colors can change with time, age, water etc.
Are these a different types of Bolete or same type at different stages?

no staining at all
Again, no spore print
A small bite tasted OK...like a Portobello. No ill effects.

I was primarily interested in the Boletes for eating, some of these other out of curiosity, future reference.

I'd never before seen anything like that purpley lavender one.

The big one I see frequently but usually hit an impasse on definitive ID

The little red cap Mushroom, I have no idea and didn't even attempt an ID. No white spots noted, still, my gut tells me it's probably nothing to mess with.

If additional photos are desired, I do have more but didn't want to hog serverspace.

Any insight or info appreciated. Thank you.

[Dave W]

Yellow boletes (first bolete group) look like Boletus subglabripes. Yellow flesh, either non-staining or very slightly blue in some areas of cut flesh. There may be more than one species in the first photo of the yellow boletes. A couple look to be other than yellow. Nine inch caps would be very large for B. subglabripes, so this makes me wonder...

I'm having a difficult time judging the colors on the second group of boletes. One photo is much lighter than the other. Were these photos taken indoor? Or in direct sunlight? In the darker photo the pores look brownish or maybe pinkish-brown. If this is correct, then I think they may be a species of Tylopilus.

The mushroom with the purple gills looks like Laccaria ochropurpurea. White spore print, which separates this type from the purple Cortinarius species which have rusty brown prints, and Blewits (Lepista nuda) which have pale fleshy-pinkish prints.

The little red mushroom is likely a Russula. Some of the bright red ones taste acrid/hot and are sickeners.

[Actionclaw]

Colors will appear different depending on computer platform, monitor, settings etc. still, I must admit when looking at them, I didn't even remember them looking quite as they appear in the photos I posted and I was the one that actually saw them!

I think I ruled out Boletus subglabripes for a couple reason but mainly because I read these do not change color dramatically when sliced and if they do, they stain reddish. Those I found did and definitely blue/blue-green. But as you noted I also think there may've been morethan one type of yellows.

The photos were shot outside in the sun.



This is frustrating. Even within just this one group the more I learn the more I realize how little I know and how much more there is to learn. (Dave W: How many years was it for you before you could confidently, correctly identify and USE what you harvested?) I doubt there are but I wish there were some reliable generalizations. (A good read but maybe only a start: Edibility Rules for Boletes)

For example, accepting that it may exclude some good edible if one avoids..
..all boletes that stain or bruise blue to green,
..with red or orange pore surfaces, or
..orange-capped species

is it safe to say others (to which none of the above applies) are safe ..even if not the best tasting?

For example, are all off-white/beigeish Boletes edible?

I found, more similar to the light colored ones shown. All light beige tan, cap a few shades lighter than the pores. No staining at all. A small sample tatsed, again, more or less like a Portobello, maybe more "mushroomy" but then after a 48 hour it's no longer very appetizing.

When one returns with samples but is not able to identify them in time and they go to waste (which is what, unfortunately, happens to me more often than not) especially when they eventually turn out to be something desirable I consider making the remains into a slurry to spread around the area from where they were originally taken. Would this be worthwhile?

Thanks again for your input

[Dave W]

Bolete IDs are often difficult to discuss, even with mushrooms in hand. The beige ones with pores that turn pinkish-brown are likely a species of Tylopilus. Some of these types stain brown... never blue. The ones that are not bitter are edible. Another type of bolete with pores that turn brown/pink is Austroboletus gracilis (formerly Tylopilus). This type is edible, although the cap is mostly composed of tubes, so it's not a choice edible.

Boletus subglabripes is a decent edible.

One bolete that seems to not quite follow the "edibility rule" is Boletus huronensis. This one bruises blue on cut flesh... but often this is very slight. B. huronensis has been associated with some serious poisoning.

http://mushroomobserver.org/174643?q=2DtSB

I've been collecting mushrooms for over 30 years. My approach over the years has been to learn edible types one species at a time. I have made a few minor mistakes over the years.

[Cedric]

I concur with Dave.... Better to not eat a mushroom that might be edible than take the risk of getting sick, so my suggestion is to check each one thoroughly, research the possible confusions and learn to distinguish them. The best way is to find someone close who can show you those differences in hand.... And only once you are sure, taste them... and even then, only a little the first time. As you find them again and again, your confidence will grow.

As Dave, I have made a few minor mistakes in the past, but I have also had a number of occasions where I was pretty sure of what I had, but preferred to wait for better confirmation, and found later that I had been mistaken. For example, by confusing Entoloma Lividum with and edible species, or a white Clitocybe with Clitopilus Prunulus. ONly after finding both the edible and the toxic ones several times did I finally feel confident enough to eat them.

Approximate Id is also dangerous because you might eat one of those and actually not have a problem, but next time pick something similar, think it is the same, and get sick... So really, make sure you research the close species to the ones you think you have to be able to rule them out.