About this fungus
Bronze Bolete is a fungus in the Boletaceae family. Its habitat and field characteristics are summarised below.
A heavy, warm-climate porcini with a very dark bronze-brown cap and a stout pale-brown stem marked by a fine net, usually beneath oak or other broadleaf trees.
What to check
Pores begin white or cream and mature yellow to olive. The cap and stem flesh remain white when cut, without rapid blueing. Check the fine stem reticulum, which is often darker near the top, and the absence of red pores, a ring or a volva.
Lookalikes
Penny Bun and Summer Bolete overlap in appearance but usually have paler caps or a paler stem network. Bitter Bolete develops pinkish pores and has a darker, coarser stem network. Red-pored or strongly blue-staining boletes belong to different groups and should not be treated as this species.
Habitat and range
Mycorrhizal with broadleaf trees and shrubs, especially oak, beech and chestnut. It favours warmer parts of Europe and the Mediterranean region and should not be assumed from similar dark-capped boletes on other continents.
Food safety
Choice edible.
Use this profile to learn what to examine and compare, not as proof that a mushroom is safe to eat. Check the whole specimen and every important lookalike before reaching an identification.
Photographs
Achim Bollmann; derivative by Ak ccm / Copyrighted free useSpecies to compare
Similar mushrooms to compare against: