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Australian boletes are a real challenge to those of us up here in the northern hemisphere. It's really interesting how the Aussie types are different and yet similar to what I see here in the mid-Atlantic/NE region of North America. There are very few --if any-- species that inhabit both areas. (I *think* Tylopilus ballouii may qualify.) In some cases there are different species that appear to be very similar. The genus Sutorius --a type of bolete-- includes only two species worldwide... S. eximius which is common in my area, and S. australiensis which looks very much the same as the former. 

My guess for the ones seen in this thread is genus Tylopilus. The two mushrooms pictured may or may not represent two different species. The one with the dark purplish stalk is very likely a Tylopilus... reminds me of the NA species T. plumbeoviolaceus, an intensely bitter-tasting bolete. The one with the lighter-colored stalk reminds me somewhat of T. ferrugineus, a mild-tasting bolete. Here in NA there are brown Tylopilus mushrooms that are bitter and other brown Tylopilus mushrooms that taste mild. It's okay to nibble a tiny bit of flesh from a cap and spit it out after assessing taste. You may want to have some water handy in the event that you taste one of the bitter ones and then feel the need to rinse out your mouth. Most Tylopilus species do not stain/bruise blue. (A few oddball species like T. sordidus stain blue.)  Some Tylopilus stain/bruise brown, some stain/bruise black, some bruise pinkish followed by darkening, some exhibit no color change at all. (In my area the bitter ones are apt to show no staining.) The flesh of Tylopilus is generally white. The spore prints are brown usually with a reddish/pinkish tinge (as opposed to many other types of boletes that have brown prints with green/olive tinge). Pore surface on most Tylopilus begins white/cream and becomes pink or brown with age (bruising sometimes present). To my knowledge there are no poisonous species of Tylopilus, and in general, boletes are a fairly safe group to eat, as long as one refrains from the ones with red pore surface and/or blue staining/bruising of flesh/pores. (Some of these types are also okay, but require advanced ID skills.) This claim MAY NOT APPLY TO AUSTRALIA (I don't know). Here's one more important detail. Some people (some males) lack the taste buds that detect bitter. So someone who decides that a bitter Tylopilus tastes mild may prepare a meal that others cannot tolerate... not even a single bite. One bitter bolete can ruin an entire dish. Here in NA Tylopilus felleus --the classic "bitter bolete"-- is said to be an excellent edible for anyone who lacks the ability to sense bitter. 

William, if you take photos of a collection that appears to represent one species, and post to Mushroom Observer, then with some luck you may attract the attention of someone who knows the mushrooms of Australia. In particular, Professors Roy Halling (boletes) and Rod Tulloss (genus Amanita) frequently visit this website. It is advised to take photos in natural light, but away from direct sunlight. A shaded area that is close to a sunlit area, or an open area on cloudy day... either often produces good results.

http://bie.ala.org.au/species/ALA_Tylopilus_plumbeoviolaceus

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Tylopilus species are (mostly? all?) mycorrhizal. They result from a fungus that associates with the roots of a living tree. As far as I know, cultivation of mycorrhizal species of fungi has not been realized. 

Do they both stain brown? Scratch the pore surface with the tip of a knife and watch for a change. That one with the dark purplish stem really looks like the bitter-fleshed T. plumbeoviolaceus. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

The stalk surfaces on these boletes appear to lack reticulation (threadlike netting on the surface). But, some of the King Boletes I have picked have shown little or no reticulation on the stalks. So I have no trouble believing these are really large Kings. Plus, I have no first-hand experience with mushrooms of the Ukraine. I have seen similarly large Kings in Montana, USA. Probably a different species. But, for edible qualities, the King in king. 

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Edulis can get pretty darn big.  http://mushroomobserver.org/200149?q=3yUC

A couple more photos from that Montana harvest. I'm not sure how big the first one was, but it looks pretty chunky, and it appears to be just past the button stage. The knapsack is full-sized. It's the one I use for hiking and foraying. The bolete by the knapsack was kinda "flagged out"... past prime with flesh not as dense as the buttons. But this shows that Boletus edulis can get really big.  58ec034400f71_Boletusedulis2.jpg.71c87c8cb7ef7bf1dad6f46d70bd67b9.jpg58ec0354e7cbb_Boletusedulis4.jpg.eb849a1111f8151fcba372742ecf5a8c.jpg 

Fox's are some of  the nicest ones I've ever seen. There's a variety of edulis that is found near the West Coast of North America, Boletus edulis var. grandedulis.  https://www.google.com/search?q=Boletus+edulis+var+grandedulis&espv=2&tbm=isch&imgil=QALrKDvOUXvAnM%3A%3BYhDFZozh0kL41M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.mushroomexpert.com%252Fboletus_edulis_grandedulis.html&source=iu&pf=m&fir=QALrKDvOUXvAnM%3A%2CYhDFZozh0kL41M%2C_&usg=__vB99s0NKltp0Za7UmeZZmry-gnQ%3D&ved=0ahUKEwjExe_D9ZrTAhVG4yYKHfA8DGIQyjcIQQ&ei=jQTsWITLLcbGmwHw-bCQBg&biw=1366&bih=638#imgrc=QALrKDvOUXvAnM:    https://www.google.com/search?q=Boletus+edulis+var+grandedulis&espv=2&tbm=isch&imgil=QALrKDvOUXvAnM%3A%3BYhDFZozh0kL41M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.mushroomexpert.com%252Fboletus_edulis_grandedulis.html&source=iu&pf=m&fir=QALrKDvOUXvAnM%3A%2CYhDFZozh0kL41M%2C_&usg=__vB99s0NKltp0Za7UmeZZmry-gnQ%3D&ved=0ahUKEwjExe_D9ZrTAhVG4yYKHfA8DGIQyjcIQQ&ei=jQTsWITLLcbGmwHw-bCQBg&biw=1366&bih=638#imgrc=_iEsVwSmBqHRcM:

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