Iodine bolete - Hemileccinum impolitum
- The Foraging Course Company
- Jun 17
- 2 min read
Edible mushroom - beginner Season - summer to autumn Common names Iodine bolete
Scientific name meaning: From the Greek word hemi, meaning inseparable, and the Italian leccino, which is used to describe rough-stemmed boletes. Impolitum is Latin in origin, from impolitum, meaning rough or unpolished
Habitat  A mycorrhizal fungus found with broadleaf trees, particularly oak and hornbeam, and occasionally coniferous trees. |
Overall structure and growth  A large mushroom that can often display a misshapen cap edge. It can be found as individual specimens and in groups. |
Cap  The cap can reach between 5 and 25cm. It is convex, flattening out with age, and appears in shades of grey-brown through to deep red-brown - paler with age. The velvety surface becomes more fibrous with maturity and it is often covered with tiny cracks. |
Pores, tubes and spores  The pores and tubes are lemon and do not changed colour when damaged. The spore colour is olive-brown. |
Stem  The pale-yellow stem is cylindrical to club-shaped and has a fluffy-like surface. The stem base is more brown-coloured. |
Flesh, smell and taste  The flesh is firm and white with no colour changes. The smell is strongly of iodine/iodoform, especially in the stem base. The taste is mild. |
Possible lookalikes  The rooting bolete (Caloboletus radicans), pictured, looks very similar and can often be found fruiting at the same time and in the same area as the iodine bolete. However, the rooting bolete lacks the iodine-like smell and also bruises blue in the flesh, tubes and pores when damaged. |
Use as a food A good tasting bolete that should be cooked. Dehydration greatly enhances the flavour. Hazards None known at time of writing
Use in herbal medicine and medicine Potential as antibacterial and antiviral
If you are suffering from any ailment or need medical advice, please see your General Practitioner Other uses None known at time of writing Importance to other species Food sources of many invertebrates
Always stay safe when foraging. You need to be 100% sure of your identification, 100% sure that your foraged item is edible, and 100% sure that you are not allergic to it (it is good practice to always try a small amount of any new food you are consuming). If in doubt, leave it out!
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