How to tell Summer bolete from Devil's bolete

Cap 8–25 cm (sometimes up to 30), hemispherical when young, then cushion-shaped, almost flat in old mushrooms. Warm bronze-brown or light brown, darker in the center. The surface is matte and slightly tacky in wet weather. A telltale feature: in mature mushrooms the cap becomes covered with a fine network of cracks, a “crackled” look like fired clay.

Cap 8–30 cm across, massive, globular when young, then cushion-shaped. The surface is dry and matte, pale gray or grayish ocher, with no bright coloring, which sets it off against the red pores. In old mushrooms the cap is often blotchy.

Tubes free or notched at the stem; white when young, then yellowish, olive-green when mature. Pores small and round. They do NOT turn blue when pressed — a key feature.

Pored hymenophore. The pores are bright red or blood-red, the mushroom's most noticeable feature, and turn blue very intensely and quickly when pressed. The tubes are yellow or yellow-green near the stem.

Stem 10–25 cm tall, 2–7 cm thick, club-shaped when young, cylindrical when mature. Light brown or cream. The most distinctive feature: the whole stem is covered with a clear white network, broad, coarse and easy to see (hence the Latin “reticulatus,” meaning “net-like”). This is the main difference from the other porcini.

Stem 5–15 cm tall, 4–10 cm thick, massive, globular or barrel-shaped. It's covered with a characteristic bright red net on a yellow background, especially toward the top. Turns blue when pressed.

Flesh white and dense, does NOT change color when cut. Fibrous, with a pleasant resistance under the knife. It gets maggoty about as often as the classic porcini, and a little less readily than the bronze bolete.

Flesh whitish or yellowish, very firm and heavy. When cut it turns blue only weakly and slowly, unlike the lurid boletes, whose flesh blues instantly and deeply. In old mushrooms the flesh smells unpleasant.

Smell rich and mushroomy, with nutty notes, stronger in young mushrooms. Taste mild, slightly sweet, not bitter. Dried, it keeps its aroma well.

Young mushrooms have little or no smell. Mature ones smell rather unpleasant, rotten or ammonia-like, especially in hot weather. The smell gets stronger when dried.