Tylopilus porphyrosporus
Dusky Bolete
Status:
Scarce in North-west, Rare elsewhere.
Meaning 'lumpy cap'.
Cap:
3-9cm
Stem:
4-16cm
Meaning 'purply'.
Description
A mushroom which is easily identified from other mushrooms in the Bolete family due to its colouration and flesh colour. Despite its size it can be rather difficult to find amongst the leaf litter. A dark mushroom which when you find them often look like they have 'gone over', it is not until you have them in the hand does it become obvious that it is just how they look. The slightly 'sour' smell, dark overall colour with a bit of 'purple' hue to it, clean cream flesh colour and pink to pink/brown pores are probably unique in the family.
Smell
'Sour', though I think more like fruit.
Season
Late Summer to Autumn.
Habitat & Distribution
With both deciduous and coniferous trees. Rare, a scattered number of records from across the UK but with hot spots in the north-west and Pennine areas. Almost no records from the east of the UK and the south-east.
Edibility
Not Edible, too 'sour' to be considered edible and too rare to collect anyway.
Confusion Species
Spores
13.5-17 x 6-8µm, thick walled, ellipsoidal to subfusiform.
Spore Print Colour
Purple-brown
This species is straightforward to identify, however this two main species one is likely to confuse it with in our opinion are the Bitter Bolete (Tylopilus felleus), which is a much paler mushroom all over with paler pink pores and an obvious white 'net' around the top of the stem. The Chestnut Bolete (Gyroporus castaneus) has white pores and a hollow stem and again is totally different.