Suillus spectabilis

Among pored larch mushrooms there are no dangerous lookalikes. All three species (Suillus grevillei, S. tridentinus, S. spectabilis) are edible. Avoid only mushrooms with RED pores (Rubroboletus) — they grow in deciduous forests, not with larch.

Only under larch (Larix). In the Carpathians, natural larch forests at 1000–1500 m. In plantations — Polissia, the Forest-Steppe, park avenues with larches. NOT found in pine and spruce forests without larch.

August — October, peaking in September. A short season — 6–8 weeks. It likes moderately humid, cool weather. It disappears after the first hard frosts.

The larch bolete (Suillus grevillei) has a bright yellow or lemon cap. Suillus spectabilis is dark reddish brown. The flesh of the larch bolete turns faintly pink, while in spectabilis it reddens and darkens more strongly. Both grow with larch, both are edible.

Like all species of the genus Suillus, it forms a mandatory (obligate) ectomycorrhiza with a specific conifer. For spectabilis, the mycorrhizal partner is larch alone. Without larch the mushroom cannot exist — even spore dispersal won't succeed without a partner for the mycelium to grow with.

Peel off the slimy cap skin (especially when wet). Young ones are worth boiling for 10 min and draining the water. Then fry with onion, stew with potatoes, or pickle. Old soft ones are good only for soup or sauce. It pickles well, but the jar turns dark.

The Latin "spectabilis" means "notable", "striking", "worth seeing" — for the rich reddish color of the cap, which sharply sets this species apart from the golden larch bolete and makes it recognizable from a distance.

Yes, moderately rare — because of larch's limited range. In the wild it is most common in the Carpathians. In plantations in Polissia and the Forest-Steppe it fruits where larch has been growing for enough years (15+). In a newly planted park you may wait in vain.