Boletus legaliae    Pilát & Dermek 



New classification: Basidiomycota/Agaricomycotina/Agaricomycetes/Agaricomycetidae/Boletales/Boletaceae  
Former classification: Basidiomycota/Homobasidiomycetes/Agaricomycetideae/Boletales/Boletaceae/Boletoideae [ section:Purpurei ]  

synonyms: Rubroboletus legaliae, Boletus splendidus, Boletus satanoides, Boletus splendidus-splendidus, Boletus purpureus ss.Romagn. 

edibility : poisonous

photo gallery of  Boletus legaliae
photo gallery of  Boletus legaliae potential confusions with  Boletus legaliae toxicity of Boletus legaliae genus Boletus  

The cap is whitish, olive-grey to pink, then pale brown, then eventually reddish-grey starting from the margin inwards with age; it is more or less turning blue when bruised, but not bluing in wounds, fleshy, thick, convex then more or less expanded. The cap surface is finely downy, slightly felty and dry. The cap margin is thick, inrolled for a long time, of same colour as cap then reddening.

The stem is thick, stout to swollen towards the base, dry, full and sturdy. Its colour is orange above the central red zone, yellow below. It turns blue when touched, and has a bright and neat blood-red network with irregular cells, essentially visible on the upper part of the stem.

The flesh is thick, firm, whitish to pale lemon yellow. It turns blue when in contact with air in about a minute (a 1 mm wide area underneath the cap surface remains unchanging for a long time). When cut and exposed to air, the stem turns faintly to red-brown and green-blue.; its taste is mild or unpleasant; the odour is not unpleasant, acidic or like chicory, according to some authors;

The tubes are thin, easily removed from cap, rather short (7-8mm), lemon yellow to yellow greenish, adnate, turning blue-green when exposed to air.

The pores are very small, round, purple red discoloured to yellow towards margin, before reddening with age, turning blue when pressed. The spore print is olive brown.

It grows with conifers or broad-leaved trees, on a rather neutral or acid soil, with spruce, fir, beech, oak.

The fruiting period takes place from June to November.
Dimensions: width of cap approximately 11 cm (between 5 and 20 cm)
  height of stem approximately 10 cm (between 5 and 20 cm)
  thickness of stem (at largest section) approximately 40 mm (between 15 and 80 mm)
  spores : 10-17,5 x 5-6,75 microns, ellipsoid

Chemical tests : strong reaction to iodine: dark blue on stem flesh, pale green on cap flesh; acetic acid turns the cap flesh to dark red, but discolours the blueing flesh to bright yellow; the flesh turns straw yellow when in contact with ammonia; sulfuric acid turns the cap flesh to very dark red-brown; the flesh in the cap becomes pale pink when in contact with caustic soda; the cap surface and base of stem turn to dark blue when in contact with iron sulphate..

Distinctive features : pink to olive-grey cap, reddish towards margin; reddish pores, turning blue when pressed; flesh turning slowly to blue when bruised or exposed to air; orange network on stem; yellow stem surface under central reddish area

Boletus legaliae is still unreported so far in the forest of Rambouillet, and is quite rare, more generally speaking .



page updated on 14/01/18