Bovine bolete or Velvet bolete

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 5-12 cm across, hemispherical with an inrolled edge when young, becoming convex-flat with time. The color is yellow-brown, ocher-yellow to brownish, lighter when young, darkening with age. The surface is velvety and dryish, with tiny dark scales ("variegated" — which is where the Latin name comes from). In wet weather it becomes a little sticky, but not truly slimy.

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.

Pores and tubes — the tubes are attached to the stem or slightly decurrent, yellowish when young, turning yellow-olive to rusty brown with age. The pores are small, the same color as the tubes. When cut or pressed they turn slightly blue — a normal reaction. Spore print rusty brown.

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, 1.5-2.5 cm thick, thick, cylindrical, often thickening toward the base. The color is yellow-ocher, reddish in the lower part. No ring and no zone — a key difference from other Suillus. The stem flesh is firm and, when cut, turns faintly blue.

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 firm, yellow, more reddish in the stem. When cut it slowly turns blue (over 1-2 minutes), then fades. The smell is faint, neutral. The taste is mild, mushroomy.

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

Faint, pleasant, mushroomy, with no distinctive notes.