Bolete

Not to be confused with Pleurotus eryngii, sometimes known as boletus of the steppes.
A bolete, Boletus edulis, showing the solid looking, spongy bottom surface, which is the defining characteristic of boletes.
The porcini, Boletus edulis, showing the solid looking, spongy bottom surface, which is the defining characteristic of boletes.

A bolete is a type of mushroom, or fungal fruiting body. It can be identified thanks to a unique cap. On the underside of the cap there is usually a spongy surface with pores, instead of the gills typical of mushrooms. A similar pore surface is found in polypores, but these species generally have a different physical structure from boletes, and have different microscopic characteristics than boletes. Many polypores have much firmer, often woody, flesh.

"Bolete" is the English common name for fungus species with caps that have this appearance.

Some, but not all boletes bruise blue.[1]

  1. ^ Biggane, Eric (2015-07-30). "Identifying Boletus Mushrooms". Wild Food UK. Retrieved 2024-07-15.