Boletus pinophilus: The Ultimate Mushroom Guide

About The Boletus pinophilus Mushroom

This mushroom commonly known as the pine bolete or pinewood king bolete is a basidiomycete fungus of the genus Boletus found throughout Europe. For many years, Boletus pinophilus was considered a subspecies or form of the porcini mushroom B. edulis. In 2008, B. pinophilus in western North America were reclassified as a new species, Boletus rex-veris. Boletus pinophilus is edible and may be preserved and cooked.

Boletus pinophilus grows predominantly in coniferous forests, forming symbiotic ectomycorrhizal associations with living trees by enveloping the tree's underground roots with sheaths of fungal tissue. The fungus produces spore-bearing fruit bodies above ground in summer and autumn. The large, edible fruiting bodies known as mushrooms appear under pine trees, generally in summer and autumn.

Can be mistaken with the boletes of the same section, mainly with a young specimen of the Boletus edulis, which, among other things, shares the same habitat, but this last one shows a brown and not reddish coloring of the cap. Easy, on the contrary, the distinction with the Boletus aestivalis and the Boletus aereus, which, besides their usual different habitat, show a coloring of the cap with brown tones and a never greasy, but slightly velvety and dry cuticle.

Other names: Pine Bolete, B. pinicola, B. edulis f. pinicola.

Boletus pinophilus Habitat

In Europe widespread (from Britain to Ukraine), more mountain species in south.

Boletus pinophilus forms ectomycorrhizal relationships with pine (Pinus), fir (Abies), and spruce (Picea). It can, therefore, be located wherever those trees grow, particularly with Scots pine in Britain, preferring the poor, acidic, and sandy soils associated with coniferous forests. It appears to favor Pinus, while the form of the mushroom occurring in association with Abies and Picea has been labeled Boletus pinophilus var. fuscoruber. However, it is not confined to coniferous trees and may also be found fruiting in deciduous forests, such as under chestnut trees.

Fruiting bodies can occur singly, or in small groups throughout the summer and autumn months, although they are known to appear as early as April in Italy.

Boletus pinophilus Identification

1. Ecology

   Mycorrhizal with Engelmann spruce, and perhaps with other spruces and with firs; growing alone, scattered, or gregariously; summer and fall, in monsoon season; southern Rocky Mountains.

2. Cap

   8–22 cm at maturity; convex in the button stage, becoming broadly convex to nearly flat; greasy to tacky; bald; often shallowly wrinkled in places; brownish red to reddish brown; sometimes with a whitish bloom when young.

3. Pore Surface

   White to whitish at first, becoming yellowish to brownish yellow and eventually olive; not bruising; pores "stuffed" at first; with 2–4 circular pores per mm at maturity; tubes to 2 cm deep.

4. Stem

   8–18 cm long; 3–8 cm thick; swollen and club-shaped when young, becoming club-shaped or equal; finely whitish-reticulate over at least the upper portion; whitish or pale brownish; basal mycelium white.

5. Flesh

   White; solid; unchanging when sliced, or staining slightly pinkish.

6. Odor and Taste: Taste nutty; odor not distinctive.

7. Spore Print: Olive to brownish.

Boletus pinophilus Taxonomic & Etymology

The scientific name Boletus aerus originated in Jean Baptiste Francois Pierre Bulliard's 1789 description of this species. Synonyms of Boletus aereus include Boletus mamorensis Redeuilh.

The generic name Boletus comes ​​from the Greek bolos, meaning lump of clay; the origin of the specific epithet aereus is Latin and means copper or bronze (in color) - hence the common name Bronze Bolete. Some people refer to it as the Black Porcini or the Black Cap Bolete.

Boletus pinophilus Edibility

This mushroom can be used fresh, preserved, dried, and cooked like other edible boletes. It is highly regarded and can be quite expensive in central Mexico, and is often sold dried there. The flesh is white, soft in mature specimens, and does not change color upon bruising. The taste and smell are pleasant.

Boletus pinophilus is known to be a bioaccumulator of the heavy metals mercury, cadmium, and selenium. To reduce exposure, authorities recommend avoiding mushrooms from polluted areas such as those near mines, smelters, roadways, incinerators, and disposal sites. Furthermore, pores should be removed as they contain the highest concentrations of pollutants.