A bolete is a type of

mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. ''Toadstool'' generally refers to a poisonous mushroom. The standard for the n ...

, or

fungal A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one of the tradit ...

fruiting body. It can be identified thanks to a unique

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

. On the underside of the cap there is usually a spongy surface with pores, instead of the gills typical of mushrooms. A similar pore surface is found in polypores, but these species generally have a different physical structure from boletes, and have different microscopic characteristics than boletes. Many polypores have much firmer, often woody, flesh. "Bolete" is the English

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

for fungus species with caps that have this appearance. Some, but not all boletes bruise blue.

Taxonomy

The boletes are classified in the order Boletales. However, not all members of the order Boletales are boletes. The micromorphology and molecular phylogeny of the order Boletales have established that it also contains many gilled,

puffball Puffballs are a type of fungus featuring a ball-shaped fruit body that (when mature) bursts on contact or impact, releasing a cloud of dust-like spores into the surrounding area. Puffballs belong to the division Basidiomycota and encompass sever ...

, and other fruit body shapes. Examples of these fungi include '' Chroogomphus'', '' Gomphidius'', ''

Phylloporus ''Phylloporus'' is a genus of fungi in the family Boletaceae (suborder (biology), suborder Boletineae). The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, and contains about 50 species, mostly in tropical areas. Species References External links

...

'', ''

Paxillus ''Paxillus'' is a genus of mushrooms of which most are known to be poisonous mushroom, poisonous or inedible. Species include ''Paxillus involutus'' and ''Paxillus vernalis''. Two former species—''Tapinella panuoides'' and ''Tapinella atrotomen ...

, Tapinella,'' '' Hygrophoropsis'', and ''

Scleroderma Scleroderma is a group of autoimmune diseases that may result in changes to the skin, blood vessels, muscles, and internal organs. The disease can be either localized to the skin or involve other organs, as well. Symptoms may include areas ...

.'' The genus ''Boletus'' was originally broadly defined and described by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

in 1753, containing all pored mushrooms. Since then, gradually other genera have been defined, such as '' Tylopilus'' by Karsten in 1881, and old names such as '' Leccinum'' and '' Suillus'' resurrected or redefined. Recently, the genus ''Boletus'' has been split up even more, creating new genera, such as '' Xerocomellus'' and '' Caloboletus''.

Ecology

Most boletes are mycorrhizal and are generally found in woodlands. There is also a parasitic bolete, '' Pseudoboletus parasiticus'', which grows on '' Scleroderma citrinum.'' Another parasitic bolete is '' Buchwaldoboletus lignicola'', which is a parasite to '' Phaeolus schweinitzii'', the dyer's polypore. Boletes are susceptible to infection by the fungus '' Hypomyces chrysospermus'', also known as the bolete eater.

Edibility

Many boletes, such as the porcini ''(

Boletus edulis ''Boletus edulis'' (English: cep, penny bun, porcino) is a basidiomycete fungus, and the type species of the genus ''Boletus''. It is prized as an edible mushroom. The fungus produces Basidiospore, spore-bearing basidiocarp, fruit bodies ...

)'', are edible and considered a delicacy. However, other boletes, such as '' Suillus'' and '' Xerocomellus'' are considered edible, but not choice. Some boletes, such as '' Caloboletus'' and '' Tylopilus'' are too bitter to eat. Other boletes, such as ones in the '' Rubroboletus'' genus, such as Satan's bolete ('' Rubroboletus satanas'') are dangerously poisonous. Most poisonous boletes have red pores. Some boletes appear to be hallucinogenic bolete mushrooms. One known bolete species that might be hallucinogenic is '' Boletus manicus''.

References

{{Reflist

External links

"Evolution & Morphology in the Homobasidiomycetes" by Gary Lincoff & Michael Wood, ''MykoWeb.com''
Basidiomycota Fungal morphology and anatomy Boletes Mushroom types cs:Hřib