Bovine bolete or Slippery jack

Cap 3–12 cm, hemispherical in young mushrooms, then flat-convex, almost flat when mature. The color is a dirty yellow-brown, ochre, with a pinkish tinge; in wet weather it's noticeably slimy and shiny. The skin doesn't peel, or peels only with difficulty. In dry weather the cap is matte, sometimes with small cracks at the edges.

Cap 4–12 cm across, convex in young mushrooms, later flattened-convex. The surface is covered with a thick layer of slime — especially in wet weather. Color chocolate-brown or chestnut, yellowish brown when dry. The margin often bears remnants of the partial veil.

The spore surface is made of tubes, but quite distinctive: the pores are large, angular, irregular, with thin radial walls — they look like honeycomb. The color is dirty yellow at first, greenish-olive with age, and brownish-olive in old mushrooms. The tubes are attached to the stem and often run down it.

The hymenophore has tubes. Pores yellow, small, regular, turning yellow-green with age. The tubes are attached to the stem or run slightly down it. When pressed, the pores turn slightly brownish.

Stem 4–8 cm tall, 0.5–1.5 cm thick, cylindrical, often bent and curved — it's rarely straight. The color is the same as the cap or a little lighter. The surface is smooth, with no ring and no net pattern. Near the base it often has a pinkish tinge.

Stem 5–10 cm tall, 1–2 cm thick, solid, cylindrical. Yellow and granular in the upper part, brown or violet-brownish below the ring. A characteristic purple-brown membranous ring — a remnant of the partial veil and one of the key diagnostic features of the species.

The flesh in the cap is yellowish and soft; in the stem it's denser and fibrous. When cut, it doesn't change color or turns slightly pink. In mature mushrooms the texture becomes rubbery, which is why some foragers only take bovine boletes when they're very young.

Flesh yellowish or pale cream, firm in young mushrooms, softer in mature ones. Turns slightly pink when cut or stays unchanged. The taste is mild, pleasant, slightly sourish. The cap skin peels off easily together with the slime.

The smell is faint, mushroomy, nothing special. The taste is mild, with no bitterness.

Smell pleasant, unobtrusively mushroomy, slightly resinous — reflecting its symbiosis with pine. With cooking the aroma intensifies and becomes more pronounced. No foreign unpleasant notes.