About this fungus
Spotted Bolete is a fungus in the Boletaceae family. Its habitat and field characteristics are summarised below.
A modest brown hardwood bolete with whitish pores and flesh that shows little or no colour change. Some specimens have distinctive pale spots on the cap, but unspotted forms are common.
What to check
Confirm pores rather than gills. The pores start whitish and age yellowish-brown, while cut flesh remains pale or changes only slightly. The stem is usually smooth rather than strongly netted. Pale cap spots support the identification when present but are not required.
Variation
Caps range from yellow-brown to medium brown. The spotted form has irregular whitish or yellowish patches, and a less common form has some stem netting. These variations make a combination of pore colour, minimal staining and hardwood habitat important.
Lookalikes
Other plain brown boletes are easily confused with it. Xanthoconium purpureum tends to have redder or purplish colours, while regional Xanthoconium may require microscopic or chemical study. A field photograph alone may not resolve an unspotted specimen.
Habitat and range
Ectomycorrhizal with hardwoods, especially oak and beech, in eastern North America and parts of Central America. Reports beyond the Americas should be checked against regional species.
Food safety
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
Dan Molter / CC BY-SA 3.0