Scarletina bolete - Neoboletus praestigiator

Check out our courses

Edible mushroom - intermediate Season - summer to autumn ​ Common names Scarletina bolete, scarletina, red dot bolete, red dotted bolete

Scientific name meaning: Boletus originates from the Greek bolos, meaning a lump, neo means new - due to the new genus name given to this species. Praestigiator is Latin and means imposter or cheat, possibly due to its similarity to the lurid bolete. It is also sometimes given the species name luridiformis, meaning having lurid colours or form

Habitat

A mycorrhizal fungus that associates with deciduous and coniferous trees, particularly beech.

Overall structure and growth

The scarletina bolete is large and solid mushroom. It can be found individually and sometimes small or large groups.

Cap

The cap is between 5 and 20cm wide and can appear in various tones of brown from very pale to very dark. Starting off dome-shaped, it flattens with age and often has a mis-shapen edge. It is downy at first and ages to a have a smoother surface.

Pores, tubes and spores

The tightly-packed pores start off orange, then age to bright red and eventually red-brown. The tubes are yellow. Both the pores and tubes turn deep blue, almost black, when cut or bruised. The spore colour is sienna-brown.

Stem

The stout stem is 4 to 15cm tall and 2 to 5cm wide. It is covered in tiny red dots but has a pale area just below where it meets the cap. It does not have a ring or skirt.

​Flesh, smell and taste

The flesh is pale yellow and quickly turns dark blue when cut or bruised. The smell is slightly earthy and the taste mild.

​Possible lookalikes

Could be confused with other blue/black staining boletes, such as the deceiving bolete (Suillellus quelletii), pictured, lurid bolete (Suillellus luridus), but these are both edible if cooked well. May also be mistaken for the poisonous oldrose bolete (Boletus rhodopurpureus) and Satan's bolete (Rubroboletus satanas). These both have reticulation on their stems, while the Scarletina has dots.

Use as a food Must be thoroughly cooked and turns black ​ Hazards None known

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 ​ Importance to other species Slugs and snails often eat these mushrooms

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!

Book a course

Return to mushroom identification guide