Suede bolete - Xerocomellus submentosus
- The Foraging Course Company
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Edible mushroom - intermediate Season - summer to autumn Common names Suede bolete, yellow cracking bolete, brown and yellow bolete, boring brown bolete, brown bolete, yellow bolete
Scientific name meaning: Xero is from the Greek xer, meaning dry. Ellus is Latin for diminutive, in this case, like a small Xerocomus. Submentosus is from the Latin meaning a covering of fine hairs
Habitat  A mycorrhizal fungus that associates with various deciduous and coniferous trees. |
Overall structure and growth  The suede bolete can be found as scattered individual specimens or in impressively large groups. It is quite an untidy mushroom and often has a misshapen cap. It is susceptible to slug/snail damage and, like other Xerocomoids, Hypomyces infection. |
Cap  Pale brown through to red brown, domed and often with irregular edges, the cap reaches 4 to 8cm. It has a velvety texture when young. As it ages, the surface skin cracks and yellow flesh can often be seen through those cracks. |
Pores, tubes and spores  The pore surface and tubes appear in yellow tones. The pores are irregular shapes. When damaged, the pore surface turns blue in most specimens. The spore colour is olive-brown. |
Stem  Around 4 to 8cm tall and 1 to 2cm wide, the pale brown/yellow stem is tapered or clavate (club shaped) at the base and often wider at the top. It may have some reddened or pinky areas. It has no ring, or skirt. |
Flesh, taste and smell  The flesh is yellow, sometimes with faint blueing in the cap, and pinkish or pink-brown in base of stem. The smell and taste are slightly acidic. |
Possible lookalikes  It could be easily confused with the red cracking bolete (Xerocomus chrysenteron) or blue foot bolete (Xerocomellus cisalpinus), pictured, but these are also edible. The latter has intense blue bruising in the stem base when damaged. |
Use as a food Must be cooked but has a poor flavour and texture. Used mostly to bulk out a mushroom mix 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, as do various larvae
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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