Red cracking bolete or Peppery bolete

Cap 3-10 cm across, hemispherical in young mushrooms, later becoming convex to flat. Color chestnut-brown to olive-brown, darker when young. The surface is velvety; in old mushrooms it typically cracks into polygons with a distinct pinkish-red layer in the cracks — this is the most reliable diagnostic feature of the species. In damp weather it's slightly sticky.

Cap 2-6 cm across, hemispherical when young, becoming convex-flat with age. Color yellowish-rust to copper-brown, reddish-orange, darker when young, fading with age. Surface smooth, slightly sticky in wet weather, dry and matte in dry weather.

The hymenophore is made of tubes attached to the stem. Color yellow when young, turning yellow-olive with age. The pores are small and stain strongly blue when pressed. Spore print olive-brown.

Pored hymenophore: tubes decurrent down the stem, copper-red, rusty orange, a distinctive rich tube color that shows from every angle. Pores wide, angular, the same color as the tubes. Spore print copper-brown.

Stem 5-8 cm tall, 0.8-1.5 cm thick, cylindrical, often thickened toward the base. Color yellow at the top, with a characteristic lengthwise pinkish-red band or zone in the lower half. When cut, it turns blue.

Stem 3-7 cm tall, 0.5-1 cm thick, cylindrical, often narrowing toward the base. Color yellowish-rust to orange-brown, in the lower part lemon-yellow (a distinctive feature: a bright yellow patch at the base of the stem, as in the ruby bolete). No ring.

The flesh is yellow in the cap, soft and watery, and in the lower part of the stem has a pinkish-red zone. When cut, it turns blue (within 30-60 sec). The smell is faintly mushroomy.

Flesh thin, yellowish to yellow-pink, at the base of the stem bright yellow, lemon. When cut it turns faintly pink in the upper part. The taste is distinctly burning and peppery, hot like chili pepper: the main diagnostic feature of the species.

Faint, pleasant and mushroomy, with no distinct notes.

Faint, pleasant and mushroomy, with no distinctive notes. The smell is not pronounced, unlike the taste.