Gyroporus castaneus

Chestnut bolete

A small to medium bolete with a dry, chestnut-brown to orange-brown cap, a whitish pore surface that ages yellowish, and a brittle stem that soon becomes hollow or chambered. None of its parts bruise blue. The pale yellow spore print separates Gyroporus from most true boletes. North American collections under this name may represent several species.

Species profile

Edibility: Edible with caution
Generally reported as edible and well regarded (Wikipedia), but not without caveats: Bon (1987) treated it as suspect, and a poisonous population has been reported from coastal Portugal (Wikipedia). The North American segregate species have not been separately assessed. Its hollow stem, non-bluing flesh and pale yellow spore print distinguish it; the closely related Gyroporus cyanescens bruises blue. Eat only well-identified fresh specimens, cooked.

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Characteristics

Cap: 1.5-6 cm, convex becoming broadly convex or nearly flat; dry, bald or slightly velvety, often cracking with age, the margin often splitting; color ranges from browns to orange, pinkish or purplish. Pore surface: white to cream, becoming dull yellow, not bruising; 2-3 pores per mm, tubes to 8 mm deep. Stem: 2.5-10 cm long, 0.5-1 cm thick, more or less equal, brittle, soon hollow, colored like the cap or paler, not reticulate. Flesh: white, brittle, not staining. Odor and taste: not distinctive. Spore print: pale yellow. Spores: 6-12 x 3.5-6.5 µm, smooth, ellipsoid (MushroomExpert).