Types of Xerocomus boletes: a complete guide

When a forager says "I picked some moss boletes", they rarely specify which ones. Yet the "moss bolete" isn't one mushroom but a whole family of similar species. There are several in our forests, and all of them are related, edible and fond of mossy spots.

Let's sort this family out step by step: which species of Xerocomus boletes occur in Ukraine, how they differ from one another and how to learn to tell them apart. It's not critical for your basket, but it's very useful for understanding the forest.

What all Xerocomus boletes have in common

All Xerocomus boletes are pored mushrooms of the genera Xerocomus, Xerocomellus and their close relatives, kin to porcini. They share several features:

• a dry cap that feels velvety to the touch;
• a yellow or greenish-yellow tube layer with large, angular pores;
• a thinner, straight stem without a net pattern;
• flesh that, in most species, turns blue when cut.

It's the velvety cap, yellow pores and bluing that unite the whole family. The species differ in cap color, how the flesh behaves and where they grow.

Suede bolete

Suede bolete (Xerocomus subtomentosus) is the best-known and most widespread species. It's the one most people picture when they hear "moss bolete".

Its cap is olive-green, yellowish-brown or grayish-brown, dry and velvety. The pores are large and golden yellow. The flesh turns slightly blue or hardly at all. It grows in mixed and coniferous forests on mossy patches.

It's a good edible mushroom and the one picked most often. Because of its yellowish-brown cap, it's sometimes also called the "yellow moss bolete".

Red cracking bolete

Red cracking bolete (Xerocomellus chrysenteron) is easy to recognize by its cap, which becomes covered in little cracks with age, like parched earth.

Deep in these cracks, pinkish flesh often shows through. The cap is brown or grayish-brown, and the flesh turns noticeably blue when cut. Because of its cracked look, it's often called the "motley moss bolete".

It's edible too, though its flesh is softer and more watery, so the mushroom ages quickly. It's best picked young.

Ruby bolete

Ruby bolete (Boletus rubellus), or red moss bolete, stands out with its bright reddish or carmine cap.

It's the most colorful of our Xerocomus boletes. Its stem often has a red tint as well, and the flesh turns blue when cut. It loves light deciduous forests, forest edges and clearings, often under oak.

Because of its bright cap, people often search for it as "red moss bolete". The mushroom is edible, but small and fragile.

Xerocomus ferrugineus and other relatives

Besides the three main ones, other Xerocomus boletes and closely related mushrooms also occur in our forests.

• Xerocomus ferrugineus with a brownish-chestnut cap, similar to the suede bolete;
• sepia bolete with a grayish-brown cracked cap;
• inkstain bolete, which turns blue very strongly and quickly when cut;
• bay bolete, which some foragers also count among the Xerocomus boletes; it's more prized and fleshier than the rest.

All true Xerocomus boletes are edible. The only one to watch out for is the hot peppery bolete, which resembles a small Xerocomus bolete but stands out with its reddish pores and sharp, peppery taste.

The weather will tell you when exactly to go out for Xerocomus boletes. Keep track of conditions with our mushroom radar: it shows when moisture and warmth line up well for mushrooms to appear.

Sources

• "Vyznachnyk hrybiv Ukrainy" (Identification Guide to the Mushrooms of Ukraine; Kyiv, Naukova Dumka publishing house).
• Xerocomus subtomentosus on GBIF, the global biodiversity database.
• Xerocomus on MycoBank, the international fungal nomenclature database.
• Xerocomus subtomentosus on Wikipedia.