Kingdom Fungi | Division Basidiomycota Rank Species | |
 | ||
Similar Imperator rhodopurpureus, Rubroboletus legaliae, Suillellus queletii, Butyriboletus fechtneri, Caloboletus radicans | ||
Rubroboletus rhodoxanthus
Rubroboletus rhodoxanthus is a fungus of the genus Rubroboletus, known for many years as Boletus rhodoxanthus until 2014. It is a rare, inedible bolete found in warm deciduous forests of southern Europe mainly under oak and beech, on chalky soil.
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Description
Rubroboletus rhodoxanthus produces a large, colourful fruit body. The cap is convex, coloured mostly whitish-grey, and flushed with pink especially towards the margin. The cap expands with maturity and may exceed 20 cm in diameter. The tubes are initially yellow in immature specimens, soon becoming bright red, and stain blue when damaged.
The stem is bulbous when young, but becomes more slender with maturity. It bears a dense carmine network covering an orange-yellow background. The flesh is bright yellow, turning blue when cut but only in the cap and not in the stem base. It has a mild taste.
The spores are olive-brown in colour, ellipsoid to spindle shaped, sized 10–15 by 4–5.5 μm.
Distribution and habitat
Rubroboletus rhodoxanthus is a generally rare species found in southern Europe. It is common in Cyprus under golden oak (Quercus alnifolia). It is considered critically endangered in the Czech Republic.
Edibility
Rubroboletus rhodoxanthus is poisonous and unsuitable for consumption, although its toxicity varies significantly from region to region depending on the substrate.