Porphyrellus porphyrosporus

*Porphyrellus porphyrosporus*
Porphyrellus porphyrosporus
Mycological characteristics
	Pores on hymenium
	Cap is convex
	Hymenium is adnate
	Stipe is bare
	Spore print is purple to brown
	Ecology is mycorrhizal
	Edibility is inedible

Porphyrellus porphyrosporus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Basidiomycota
Class:	Agaricomycetes
Order:	Boletales
Family:	Boletaceae
Genus:	Porphyrellus
Species:	P. porphyrosporus
Binomial name
	Porphyrellus porphyrosporus; (Fr. & Hök) E.-J.Gilbert (1931)
Synonyms
	Boletus porphyrosporus Fr. & Hök (1835); Phaeoporus porphyrosporus (Fr. & Hök) Bataille (1908); Tylopilus porphyrosporus (Fr. & Hök) A.H.Sm. & Thiers (1971);

Porphyrellus porphyrosporus, commonly known as the dusky bolete, is a rare fungus belonging to the family Boletaceae. With its purple-brown cap and stem, P. porphyrosporus is not easy to spot, despite its large size. It is a large (both cap diameter and stem length up to 15 cm) brown bolete. Found in Europe and North America in summer and autumn, the species occurs under trees.

Description

This mushroom has a dark brown cap, usually with a paler margin.^[2] Initially convex, caps expand and sometimes become irregularly lobed. It is 6 to 15 cm (2+1⁄4 to 6 in) in diameter^[3] when fully expanded, and the caps have soft buff flesh with a vinaceous tinge. The tubes are similar in colour to the cap, and when cut or bruised, turn blue-green.^[2] The stem is 5 to 16 cm (2 to 6+1⁄4 in) tall and 1 to 3 cm (3⁄8 to 1+1⁄8 in) in diameter, equal or clavate,^[3] tobacco brown and slightly velvety to the touch when young, becoming smooth as the fruit body matures. The flesh is white, producing blue stains which change color.^[4] The mushroom has a mild to pungent smell and a mild to bitter taste.^[4] The spore print is reddish-brown.^[4]

Similar species

It might overlap with P. atrofuscus and P. olivaceobrunneus.^[4] Tylopilus griseocarneus^[4] and T. indecisus are similar.^[3]

Distribution and habitat

It is a widespread species of Europe, especially in the north, but is nowhere particularly common. It can be found in northern North America.^[4]

The fruit bodies appear from late summer to autumn,^[4] often in small groups, associated with broad-leaved trees such as beech^[4] and oak.

Edibility

One guide lists the species as edible,^[5] while another considers it "probably edible".^[6]

References

↑ "Porphyrellus porphyrosporus (Fr. & Hök) E.-J. Gilbert 1931". MycoBank. International Mycological Association. Archived from the original on 2011-09-30. Retrieved 2011-10-01.
1 2 Trudell, Steve; Ammirati, Joe (2009). Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest. Timber Press Field Guides. Portland, OR: Timber Press. p. 228. ISBN 978-0-88192-935-5. Archived from the original on 2024-04-30. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
1 2 3 Davis, R. Michael; Sommer, Robert; Menge, John A. (2012). Field Guide to Mushrooms of Western North America. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 315. ISBN 978-0-520-95360-4. OCLC 797915861.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Audubon (2023). Mushrooms of North America. Knopf. p. 351. ISBN 978-0-593-31998-7.
↑ Phillips, Roger (2010). Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books. p. 281. ISBN 978-1-55407-651-2.
↑ Wood M, Stevens F. "Tylopilus porphyrosporus". California Fungi. Archived from the original on 2017-12-09. Retrieved 2011-02-23.