''Suillus grevillei'' ( commonly known as Greville's bolete and larch bolete) is a mycorrhizal

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 ...

with a tight, brilliantly coloured cap, shiny and wet looking with its mucous slime layer. The hymenium easily separates from the flesh of the cap, with a central

stalk Stalk or stalking may refer to: Behaviour * Stalk, the stealthy approach (phase) of a predator towards its prey * Stalking, an act of intrusive behaviour or unwanted attention towards a person * Deer stalking, the pursuit of deer for sport Biol ...

that is quite slender. The species has a ring or a tight-fitting annular zone.

Description

''Suillus grevillei'' is a mushroom with a 5–10 cm (2–4 in) cap colored from citrus yellow to burnt orange, that is at first hemispherical, then bell-shaped, and finally flattened. It has a sticky skin, often with

veil A veil is an article of clothing or hanging cloth that is intended to cover some part of the head or face, or an object of some significance. Veiling has a long history in European, Asian, and African societies. The practice has been prominent ...

remnants on the edge, short tubes of yellow (possibly staining brownish) which descend down to the bottom of its cylindrical stalk (6–10 x 1–2 cm), which is yellowish above the

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 ...

area with streaks of reddish brown below. The flesh is yellow, staining brown. The thin meat has consistency at first but then quickly becomes soft. It has an odor reminiscent of rumpled ''

Pelargonium ''Pelargonium'' () is a genus of flowering plants that includes about 280 species of perennials, succulents, and shrubs, commonly called geraniums, pelargoniums, or storksbills. ''Geranium'' is also the botanical name and common name of a sepa ...

'' geranium leaves. It grows in the soil of mixed forests, not always at the foot of

larch Larches are deciduous conifers in the genus ''Larix'', of the family Pinaceae (subfamily Laricoideae). Growing from tall, they are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the north and high on mountains furt ...

(can be quite some distance away) with which it lives in symbiosis. It grows from June until November. ''Suillus grevillei'' is an

edible mushroom Edible mushrooms are the fleshy and edible fruit bodies of several species of macrofungi (fungi which bear fruiting structures that are large enough to be seen with the naked eye). They can appear either below ground (hypogeous) or above ground ...

(without consistency nor flavor) if the slimy cuticle is removed off the cap. This mucousy skin layer is what is known to cause intestinal issues, as is the case with several other ''Suillus'' such as Slippery Jack (''S. luteus'') or Jill (''S. salmonicolor''); often considered to be not worth the work. Its name is derived from

Robert Kaye Greville Dr. Robert Kaye Greville FRSE FLS LLD (13 December 1794 – 4 June 1866) was an English mycologist, bryologist, and botanist. He was an accomplished artist and illustrator of natural history. In addition to art and science he was interest ...

.natura.provincia.cuneo.it (In italian)
accessed 5 August 2008

Habitat and distribution

Grows only under

trees. Widespread in North America and Europe. In Asia, it has been recorded from Taiwan.

Chemistry

The fungus produces grevillin which is characteristic of this fungus. The genetic and enzymatic basis for atromentin, the precursor to various pulvinic acid-type pigments, has been characterized (an atromentin synthetase by the name, GreA). A cosmid library (31 249 bp in total) has been made from the genome. The estimated gene density based on the cosmid library is 1 per 3900 bp of genomic DNA. The genome has a GC content of 49.8%.

References

Works in French

* Régis Courtecuisse, Bernard Duhem : ''Guide des champignons de France et d'Europe'' (Delachaux & Niestlé, 1994-2000). * Marcel Bon : ''Champignons de France et d'Europe occidentale'' (Flammarion, 2004) * Dr Ewaldt Gerhardt : ''Guide Vigot des champignons'' (Vigot, 1999) - * Roger Phillips : ''Les champignons'' (Solar, 1981) - * Thomas Laessoe, Anna Del Conte : ''L'Encyclopédie des champignons'' (Bordas, 1996) - * Peter Jordan, Steven Wheeler : ''Larousse saveurs - Les champignons'' (Larousse, 1996) - * G. Becker, Dr L. Giacomoni, J Nicot, S. Pautot, G. Redeuihl, G. Branchu, D. Hartog, A. Herubel, H. Marxmuller, U. Millot et C. Schaeffner : ''Le guide des hampignons'' (Reader's Digest, 1982) - * Henri Romagnesi : ''Petit atlas des champignons'' (Bordas, 1970) - ''This article is based on a translation of the corresponding article on the

French Wikipedia The French Wikipedia (french: Wikipédia en français) is the French-language edition of Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia. This edition was started on 23 March 2001, two months after the official creation of Wikipedia. It has article ...

.''

External links

* * Baura G, Szaro TM, Bruns TD. 1992
''Gastrosuillus laricinius'' is a recent derivative of ''Suillus grevillei'': molecular evidence.
''

Mycologia ''Mycologia'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes papers on all aspects of the fungi A fungus (plural, : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of Eukaryote, eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as ...