Larch bolete - Suillus gravellei
- The Foraging Course Company
- May 27
- 2 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Edible mushroom - novice Season - summer to autumn Common names Larch bolete, larch suillus
Scientific name meaning: Suillus is derived from the Latin for swine/pig. Grevellei is from the name of mycologist Robert Kaye Greville
Habitat  A mycorrhizal fungus that associates with larch. |
Overall structure and growth  A mushroom with a slimy cap that often appears in large numbers. |
Cap  Yellow to orange in colour, the cap is usually 4 to 12cm wide. It is dome-shaped and flattens with age - larger specimens can have a slightly wavy edge. Often an umbo (small central bump) is present. The cap is viscid and can be very slimy when it is wet. |
Pores, tubes and spores  The angular pores are pale yellow when young but gaining a rust-brown tinge with age. They bruise rust-brown. The tubes are pale yellow and remain so when cut or bruised. The spore colour is sienna brown. |
Stem  The stem is 5 to 7cm tall and 1 to 2cm wide. It is paler above the ring, below the ring it is covered in rusty-brown dot-like scales. A short-lived ring forms on the stem from the remains of the thin white partial veil. This ring later looks more like a pale band rather than a ring. |
Flesh, smell and taste  The flesh is pale yellow, with some rusty-brown colouring in the cap area. The smell and taste are mild. |
Possible lookalikes  Could be confused with other Suillus species, such as slippery jack (Suillus luteus), pictured, bovine bolete (Suillus bovinus) and weeping bolete (Suillus granulatus). All are edible, however, the first grows with pine and the latter two have no ring or ring zone. |
Use as a food Edible when cooked and the slimy cap coating and tubes are removed. Dehydration much improves it Hazards Has been known to cause stomach upsets in some so tolerance tests are advised. Also, removal of the slimy cap and tubes is believed to reduce the risk of an unfavourable reaction
Use in herbal medicine and medicine None known
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 source 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!
Comments