Suillus flavidus or Velvet bolete

Cap 3-7 cm across, hemispherical in young mushrooms, becoming convex to flat with age. Color: pale yellow-ocher, straw-yellow, with a faint greenish tint. The skin is slimy in wet weather and peels off easily. In young mushrooms the cap margin is joined to the stem by a thin white veil, which later leaves a ring zone on the stem.

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 hymenophore is made of tubes — they are attached to the stem, yellowish, becoming yellow-olive with age. The pores are small and angular, the same color as the tubes. Spore print ocher-brown. In young mushrooms the pores are covered by a whitish partial veil.

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 4-7 cm tall, 0.5-1 cm thick, cylindrical, slender, often curved. Color: light yellow, with fine reddish-brown dots (glandular dots) above the ring zone. A ring zone from the whitish veil in the upper part is a hallmark of the genus Suillus. Below the ring zone the stem is smooth.

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 is soft, pale yellow, watery. When cut it turns faintly pinkish in the cap; in the stem it does not change color. Smell and taste are mild and neutral, with no sharp notes.

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.

Faint, pleasant, mushroomy, with no distinctive undertones.

Faint, pleasant, mushroomy, with no distinctive notes.