Velvet bolete or not

[stradivari]

Kids recently found something almost impossible. Just a few steps from our house in LA on the alley. Seems like recent rains made it happen. There is a whole family 7-10 of these. 
I grew up in Russia picking mushrooms and able to recognize at least few dozen types. But never saw it in LA. I can't believe my eyes. Before I fry and take a risk can anyone confirm it's a velvet bolete (variegated boletus)?

For the record - the cap diameter of the largest one is 17cm. They don't change color when broken. Smell like edible ones.

[Dave W]

These mushrooms represent a species from genus Suillus. Looking online, I see that the "variegated bolete" is Suillus variegatus, a European species. Mushroom Expert says that S. tomentosus is an American species that is very similar to S. variegatus and may actually be the same exact species. According to Mushroom Expert, S. tomentosus has a yellowish-orange stalk. The ones seen here appear to have white stalks. Also, the colors of the pore surfaces seen here vary from pale beige to yellow to brown. The yellow pores show brown stains/bruises. S. tomentosus bruises blue. So I think these are a species other than S. tomentosus/variegatus (assuming they all represent the same species). The caps also appear to show some staining... looks to be brownish or grayish.

http://www.mushroomexpert.com/suillus_tomentosus.html

What kind of tree(s) were these growing near? Probably some type of pine, I'd guess. If pine, what type? How many needles in a single bunch?

Odor is not a good indication of edibility of a type of mushroom. 

 

[stradivari]

The closest trees are oaks. In fact, the mushrooms live under a thick layer of wet oak leaves.  

[Dave W]

No pines in the area? The leaves have nothing to do with these mushrooms. All species of Suillus are mycorrhizal, meaning the mushrooms come from a fungus that lives perennially with the roots of a tree. The associated tree may not be the one closest to the mushrooms. With almost all species of Suillus the association is with a coniferous tree, often pine. One exception is Suillus subaureus which associates with aspen  or oak, but it's range is restricted the northeastern NA. There is likely at least one western NA species that also associates with oak or some other hardwood, but I am familiar with only a few western NA Suillus species, and these are all pine associates from areas in the Rocky Mountains. 

Here's a description of a western NA Suillus that is said to sometimes associate with oak. Appears to be a rare species   http://www.mykoweb.com/boletes/species/Suillus_lithocarpi-sequoiae.html .

 

[stradivari]

Actually after doublechecking found one California Foothill Pine about 10 yards aside.

    ^                 (cypress tree)     5 yards   (oak)   5 yards     (oak)    5 yards     (pine)    5 yards  (cypress tree)
    |                                                                       (mushrooms)
south

 

[Dave W]

Except for the brown pore surface on the one mushroom, these remind me of a species that's very common in eastern NA. For years this was called Suillus granulatus, but this European name has been shown to be misapplied to the American species. Recently, the name Suillus weaverae has been proposed for the former NA granulatus. However, there exists some doubt about the application of weaverae as the correct species name. Mushroom Expert says the species is widely distributed in NA  http://www.mushroomexpert.com/suillus_granulatus.html .