''Caloboletus rubripes'', commonly known as the red-stipe bolete or the red-stemmed bitter bolete, is a

mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. ''Toadstool'' generally denotes one poisonous to humans. The standard for the name "mushroom" is ...

in the family

Boletaceae The Boletaceae are a family of mushroom-forming fungi, primarily characterised by small pores on the spore-bearing hymenial surface (at the underside of the mushroom), instead of gills as are found in most agarics. Nearly as widely distributed ...

. It was known as ''Boletus rubripes'' until 2014.

Fruit bodies The sporocarp (also known as fruiting body, fruit body or fruitbody) of fungi is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are borne. The fruitbody is part of the sexual phase of a fungal life c ...

(mushrooms) are robust, with

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Ja ...

up to in diameter, atop thick

stipes Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagin ...

long. Mushrooms are non-toxic, but is so bitter as to be inedible. The mushroom

flesh Flesh is any aggregation of soft tissues of an organism. Various multicellular organisms have soft tissues that may be called "flesh". In mammals, including humans, ''flesh'' encompasses muscles, fats and other loose connective tissues, but ...

has a very strong bluing reaction when cut or damaged. and forms

mycorrhizal A mycorrhiza (from Greek μύκης ', "fungus", and ῥίζα ', "root"; pl. mycorrhizae, mycorrhiza or mycorrhizas) is a symbiotic association between a fungus and a plant. The term mycorrhiza refers to the role of the fungus in the plan ...

relationships, primarily with

conifer Conifers are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All ex ...

s. It can be differentiated from similar

bolete {{refimprove, date=July 2020 A bolete is a type of mushroom, or fungal fruiting body. It can be identified thanks to a unique mushroom cap. The cap is clearly different from the stem. On the underside of the cap there is usually a spongy su ...

s by its cap color and non-reticulate stipe.

Taxonomy

The species was first described scientifically by American mycologist

Harry D. Thiers Harry Delbert Thiers (January 22, 1919 in Fort McKavett, Texas – August 8, 2000 in Ohio) was an American mycologist who studied and named many fungi native to North America, particularly California. Thiers taught mycology at San Francisco St ...

in 1965, based on collections he made in Jackson State Forest,

Mendocino County Mendocino County (; ''Mendocino'', Spanish for "of Mendoza) is a county located on the North Coast of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,601. The county seat is Ukiah. Mendocino County consists wholly ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, in late October, 1962. It is commonly known as the "red-stipe bolete" or the red-stemmed bitter bolete. It was transferred to ''

Caloboletus ''Caloboletus'' is a fungal genus in the family Boletaceae. It was circumscribed by Italian mycologist Alfredo Vizzini with ''Caloboletus calopus'' as the type species. The erection of ''Caloboletus'' follows recent molecular studies that outlin ...

'' by Italian mycologist Alfredo Vizzini in 2014, following recent

molecular A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions which satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, and bioch ...

studies that outlined a new

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

framework for the Boletaceae.

Description

The

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. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

is convex to cushion-shaped, before flattening out in maturity, attaining diameters of . The cap margin is rolled or curved inward and remains that way until maturity. Its surface is dry, with a velvet-like to slightly hairy texture. It often develops cracks in age. The cap color is variable, ranging from buff to olive-buff to olive-brown; it stains brown when bruised or injured. The

is whitish to pale yellow, and will quickly turn blue when cut or exposed to air. The odor of the fruit body ranges from indistinct to unpleasant, and its taste is bitter. The pore surface on the underside of the cap is initially yellow before turning olive-yellow in age; it instantly turns blue when bruised. The angular pores number about 1–3 per millimeter, and the tubes comprising the

hymenophore A hymenophore refers to the hymenium-bearing structure of a fungal fruiting body The sporocarp (also known as fruiting body, fruit body or fruitbody) of fungi is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidi ...

are long. The

stem Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushr ...

measures long by wide, and either nearly equal in width throughout, clavate, or tapered slightly towards either end. The stem is solid (i.e., not hollow), and has a dry surface with slight longitudinal grooves. Its color is pinkish-red to purple-red except for a yellow region near the top and yellow

mycelium Mycelium (plural mycelia) is a root-like structure of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. Fungal colonies composed of mycelium are found in and on soil and many other substrates. A typical single spore germinates in ...

at the base. The stem lacks reticulation or a

ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

. ''Caloboletus rubripes'' produces an olive-brown

spore print 300px, Making a spore print of the mushroom ''Volvariella volvacea'' shown in composite: (photo lower half) mushroom cap laid on white and dark paper; (photo upper half) cap removed after 24 hours showing pinkish-tan spore print. A 3.5-centimeter ...

. The

spores In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, ...

are somewhat spindle-shaped to somewhat cylindrical, smooth, and measure 12–18 by 4–5

μm The micrometre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American spelling), also commonly known as a micron, is a unit of length in the International System of Uni ...

. The

basidia A basidium () is a microscopic sporangium (a spore-producing structure) found on the hymenophore of fruiting bodies of basidiomycete fungi which are also called tertiary mycelium, developed from secondary mycelium. Tertiary mycelium is highly- ...

(spore-bearing cells) are club shaped, four-spored, and measure 26–30 by 7–13 μm. There are no

clamp connection A clamp connection is a hook-like structure formed by growing hyphal cells of certain fungi. It is a characteristic feature of Basidiomycetes fungi. It is created to ensure that each cell, or segment of hypha separated by septa (cross walls), rece ...

s in the hyphae. The mushrooms are

inedible {{Short pages monitor