How to tell Pale bolete from Devil's bolete

Cap 6–15 cm, hemispherical in young mushrooms, then cushion-shaped. Pale gray, creamy white, silvery grayish, sometimes with a faint pink or ochre tint. Surface matte, slightly sticky in wet weather. Young mushrooms often have a distinctive silvery sheen.

Cap 8–30 cm across, massive, globular in young mushrooms, then cushion-shaped. Surface dry, matte, pale gray or grayish ocher, with no bright coloring — it contrasts with the red pores. In old mushrooms the cap is often blotchy.

Hymenophor tubular, slightly notched near the stem. Butter-yellow, olive-yellow in mature specimens. Pores small, round. May bruise faintly blue when pressed.

Pored hymenophore. Pores bright red or blood-red — the mushroom's most noticeable feature. When pressed they turn blue very intensely and quickly. Tubes yellow or yellow-green near the stem.

Stem 5–12 cm tall, 2–4 cm thick, club-shaped in young mushrooms, cylindrical in mature ones. Yellow at the top; the base may have a pink or reddish brown tint. At the top — a fine yellow net (a characteristic feature of the genus).

Stem 5–15 cm tall, 4–10 cm thick, massive, globular or barrel-shaped. Covered with a characteristic bright red net pattern on a yellow background — especially in the upper part. Turns blue when pressed.

Flesh butter-yellow, very firm in young specimens; may slowly turn blue when cut, especially in the tubes. The stem base sometimes has a pink tint. Texture fibrous, with a pleasant resistance under the knife.

Flesh yellowish, very firm, heavy. Turns blue in a flash when cut — the reaction comes within 3–5 seconds and is far more intense than in edible bluing species. In old mushrooms the flesh has an unpleasant smell.

Smell pleasant, mushroomy and nutty, with a faint honey note. Taste mild, not bitter, with a distinct “buttery” note — a hallmark of the genus Butyriboletus.

In young mushrooms the smell is unobtrusive or absent. In mature mushrooms it is rather unpleasant, rotten or ammonia-like, especially noticeable in hot weather. The smell gets stronger when dried.