Boletus pulcherrimus
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| Boletus pulcherrimus | ||||||||||||||
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 B. pulcherrimus,
collected Redwood National Park |
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| Boletus pulcherrimus Thiers & Halling |
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Boletus pulcherrimus, commonly known as Alice Eastwood's bolete, is a large imposing red-pored bolete from Western North America. It was formerly known as B. eastwoodiae, though the original material was reviewed and found to belong to B. satanas. To date it is the only bolete that has been implicated in the death of someone consuming it; a couple developed gastrointestinal symptoms in 1994 after eating this fungus with the husband succumbing. Autopsy revealed infarction of the midgut.[1]
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[edit] Taxonomy
The species was described in 1976 by Harry D. Thiers and Roy E. Halling as Boletus pulcherrimus, from the Latin pulcherrimus ' very pretty'.[2] The original material collected by Alice Eastwood of the California Academy of Sciences and sent to William Murrill who described it as Boletus eastwoodiae was found on examination to belong to Boletus satanas.[3]
[edit] Description
Coloured various shades of olive- to reddish-brown, the cap may sometimes reach 25 cm (10 in) in diameter and is convex in shape before flattening at maturity. The surface may be smooth or velvety when young, but may be scaled in older specimens. The adnate pores are bright red to dark red or red-brown and bruise dark blue or black. In cross section, the tubes and flesh are yellow. The solid , firm stipe is 7-20 cm (3-8 in) long and thicker, up to 10 cm (4 in) in diameter, at the base before tapering to 2-5 cm (1-2 in) at the top. It is yellow or yellow-brown in colour and bears a network of red reticulations on the upper 2/3rds of its length. The spore print is olive brown and 13-16 x 5-6 μm spores are spindle-shaped or elliptical. The taste of the flesh is reportedly mild.[4][5]
The large and impressive fruiting bodies are distinctive and could only be confused with the pale-capped Boletus satanas. Neither is worth experimenting on eating.
[edit] Distribution and habitat
Boletus pulcherrimus is found in western North America, from New Mexico and California to Washington, and may feasibly occur in British Columbia. It fruits in autumn in mixed woodlands.[6][4]
[edit] Toxicity
Thiers warned this species may be toxic after being alerted to severe gastrointestinal symptoms in one who had merely tasted it.[7] Then, a couple developed gastrointestinal symptoms in 1994 after eating this fungus with the husband succumbing. Autopsy revealed infarction of the midgut. Thus it is the only bolete that has been implicated in the death of someone consuming it.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Benjamin DR. "Red-pored boletes": 359–360. in: (1995) Mushrooms: poisons and panaceas — a handbook for naturalists, mycologists and physicians. New York: WH Freeman and Company.
- ^ Simpson DP (1979). Cassell's Latin Dictionary, 5, London: Cassell Ltd., 883. ISBN 0-304-52257-0.
- ^ Thiers HD, Halling RE (1976). "(abstract) California Boletes V:Two New Species of Boletus" (PDF). Mycologia 68 (5): 976–83. doi:.
- ^ a b Arora D (1986). Mushrooms Demystified: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fleshy Fungi. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, p. 528. ISBN 0898151694.
- ^ Wood M, Stevens F (2008). California Fungi:Boletus pulcherrimus. The Fungi of California. Mykoweb. Retrieved on 2008-02-02.
- ^ Ammirati JA, Traquair JA, Horgen PA (1985). Poisonous Mushrooms of the Northern United States and Canada. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, p. 241-42. ISBN 0-8166-1407-5.
- ^ Thiers HD (1975). California Mushrooms -- A Field Guide to the Boletes. New York: Hafner Press. ISBN 0028534107.
