BoletarBoletus edulis
Cep / penny bun
A variable species with a broad range of tree associations. Begin with its full description, not a cap-colour shortcut.
Porcini Field Guide
European porcini
A shared group, not one uniform appearance. Four European species are a useful starting point in the literature, not a four-way photo quiz.
Educational field guidance only. Boletar does not identify mushrooms or determine edibility.
What the research adds
Kew’s porcini overview names four species native to Europe, and Beugelsdijk et al. (2008) recognise the same four: B. edulis, B. aereus, B. pinophilus and B. reticulatus. The study supports four lineages while emphasizing variation within B. edulis. It does not offer a reliable one-photo test for casual users.
Sources: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · Discovering new species of porcini using food, phylogenetics and fieldwork (2015) · Introduction
(External website) Beugelsdijk et al. / Persoonia 20: 1–7 · A phylogenetic study of Boletus section Boletus in Europe (2008) · Abstract, Discussion (External website)
(External website) Beugelsdijk et al. / Persoonia 20: 1–7 · A phylogenetic study of Boletus section Boletus in Europe (2008) · Abstract, Discussion (External website)Boletus aereus
Bronze bolete
Often discussed for its very dark cap and its association with oak. That observation is an introduction to the literature, not a distinguishing rule.
Boletus pinophilus
Pine bolete
Described with a dark red-brown cap and an almost exclusive association with pine. A nearby pine, on its own, does not establish a mushroom’s identity.
Boletus reticulatus
Summer bolete
Its descriptions draw attention to a net over the whole stem. Netting also occurs in other boletes and must not become a shortcut. Some sources use the name B. aestivalis for the same species.
Four species side by side in the literature
| Species | Cap | Stem net | Recorded hosts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boletus edulis | Smooth, greasy to the touch; pale to dark brown, yellow-brown or reddish brown | Fine, on the upper half; rarely the whole length | Many deciduous and coniferous trees: spruce, oak, birch, beech, lime; rarely pine |
| Boletus aereus | Dry, finely felted; very dark brown | Over the whole length of a dark brown stem | Oak, on warm sites with heavy, often slightly calcareous soil |
| Boletus pinophilus | Thick gelatinous skin; dark red-brown | Coarse, over the top; rarely the whole length | Almost only pine, rarely spruce; poor, acid, sandy soil |
| Boletus reticulatus | Dry, felted, often cracking with age; moderately dark to dark yellow-brown or reddish brown | Rather pronounced, over the whole length | Oak, on fairly dry sites such as roadsides and parks |
Summarised from Table 2 of Beugelsdijk et al. (2008), which follows Van der Linde’s (2004) revision of north-west European material. Each species varies and features overlap. Read the table as a guide to the literature, not as a key: a matching row does not identify a mushroom.