| Imperator torosus | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Boletales |
| Family: | Boletaceae |
| Genus: | Imperator |
| Species: | I. torosus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Imperator torosus (Fr.) Assyov, Bellanger, Bertéa, Courtec., Koller, Loizides, G.Marques, J.A.Muñoz, N.Oppicelli, D.Puddu, F.Rich. & P.-A.Moreau (2015)
| |
| Synonyms[1][2] | |
Imperator torosus | |
|---|---|
 | Pores on hymenium |
 | Cap is convex or flat |
 | Stipe is bare |
 | Spore print is olive-brown |
 | Ecology is mycorrhizal |
 | Edibility is poisonous |
Imperator torosus, commonly known as the brawny bolete, is a species of bolete fungus in the family Boletaceae. It is native to southern Europe east to the Caucasus and Israel. It is generally associated with deciduous trees such as hornbeam, oak and beech in warm, dry locales. Although generally rare in Europe, it appears to be relatively common in Hungary. Appearing in summer and autumn on chalky soils, the stocky fruit bodies have an ochre cap up to 20 cm (8 in) across, yellow pores on the cap underside, and a wine-red to brown or blackish stipe up to 6–15 cm (2.4–5.9 in) long by 3–6 cm (1.2–2.4 in) wide. The pale yellow flesh changes to different colours when broken or bruised depending on age; younger mushrooms become reddish, and older ones additionally take on bluish tones.
Elias Magnus Fries and Christopher Theodor Hök first described this species as Boletus torosus in 1835, a name by which it came to be known for many years. Modern molecular phylogenetics shows that it is only distantly related to Boletus edulis—the type species of Boletus—and it was duly placed in the new genus Imperator in 2015. Eating raw mushrooms of this species leads to gastroenteritis. Illness has also occurred after eating cooked specimens, though this does not always happen.