Violet-Gray Bolete
Tylopilus plumbeviolaceus
There are four of these pretty little guys coming up on the southwestern side of the big oak tree in my front yard, indicating they are mycorrhizal (in a symbiotic relationship with the tree.) The striking deep violet color caught my eye right away. I've seen a few of these here and there over the last few weeks, but have failed to positively ID them until today!
Boletes are a variety of mushroom that emit their spores through tubes or pores, rather than from gills on the underside of the cap. Often vivid cap colors, absence of gills, and the presence of the fruitbody under a big tree (such as my oak) indicates that you might have a bolete on your hands!
Cap: Lilac to deep violet, turning dull grayish brown with age. Convex to flat. Slightly velvety and dry. 5-15 cm wide. Doesn't appear to bruise or stain when handled.
Pores: Whitish or pinkish. No bruising when handled.
Stem: Lilac to deep violet and/or brownish, sometimes becoming paler to whitish toward base.
Flesh: Whitish to off-white, unchanging when sliced.
Odor: Earthy, mushroomy. Non-distinctive.
Edibility: Not poisonous, but not recommended because of extremely bitter flavor.
Additional Notes: Whitish protrusions or growths among mycelial threads.
The spore print for this guy is in the works. According to the description of this mushroom by Michael Kuo at mushroomexpert.com, the print should be pinkish brown. We shall see. :)
Kuo, M. (2004, July). Tylopilus plumbeoviolaceus. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/tylopilus_plumbeoviolaceus.html
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