Boletes - Fleshy texture, stems central (more-or-less)

Overview

The fungi in this sub-group produce fruitbodies that, until you look below the cap could be mistaken for mushrooms. However, instead of gills below the cap there are pores. In fungal field guides you will find these fungi referred to collectively as boletes. In boletes the cap is quite thick in relation to its diameter. In some boletes the flesh or pores may turn blue when damaged, in others there is no colour change and bolete identification keys ask about this.

In the following hints you see examples of useful identification features and a few of the more commonly seen genera in which at least some species (not necessarily all) show those features.

Hints

Cap over 30 cm in diameter: Phlebopus.

Very soft texture, like marshmallow: Fistulinella.

Red cap, yellow pores: Boletellus.

Growing near pine trees: Suillus.

Growing near birch trees: Leccinum.

Stem deeply pitted, somewhat honeycomb-like: Austroboletus.