Boletus oak (Leccinum quercinum)
Systematics:- Department: Basidiomycota (Basidiomycetes)
- Subdivision: Agaricomycotina (Agaricomycetes)
- Class: Agaricomycetes (Agaricomycetes)
- Subclass: Agaricomycetidae (Agaricomycetes)
- Order: Boletales
- Family: Boletaceae
- Genus: Leccinum (Obabok)
- Species: Leccinum quercinum (Boletus oak)
Currently, the oak boletus Leccinum quercinum has been abolished as a separate species. The current name is red boletus Leccinum aurantiacum.
Cap of oak boletus:
Brick-red, brownish, 5-15 cm in diameter, in youth, like all boletus boletus, spherical, "stretched" on the leg, as it grows, it opens, acquiring a cushion shape; in overripe mushrooms it can be generally flat, like an upside-down pillow. The skin is velvety, noticeably extending beyond the edges of the cap, in dry weather and in adult specimens it is cracked, "checkerboard", which, however, is not striking. The pulp is dense, white-gray, blurred dark gray spots are visible on the cut. They are visible, however, not for long, because very soon the cut flesh changes color - first to blue-purple, and then to blue-black.
Spore-bearing layer:
Already in young mushrooms, it is not pure white, it turns gray more and more with age. The pores are small and uneven.
Spore powder:
Yellow-brown.
Oak boletus leg:
Up to 15 cm long, up to 5 cm in diameter, solid, evenly thickening in the lower part, often going deep into the ground. The surface of the leg of the oak boletus is covered with fluffy brown scales (one of the many but unreliable distinguishing features of Leccinum quercinum).
Spread:
Like the red boletus (Leccinum aurantiacum), the oak boletus grows from June to the end of September in small groups, preferring, unlike its more famous relative, to enter into an alliance with the oak. Judging by the reviews, it is found somewhat more often than other varieties of red boletus, pine (Leccinum vulpinum) and spruce (Leccinum peccinum) boletus.
Similar species:
Three "secondary boletus", pine, spruce and oak (Leccinum vulpinum, L. peccinum and L. quercinum) originate from the classic red boletus (Leccinum aurantiacum). Whether to separate them into separate types, whether to leave them as subspecies - judging by everything that has been read, it is a personal matter for every enthusiast. They differ among themselves by partner trees, scales on the leg (in our case, brown), and also by a funny shade of a hat. I decided to consider them different species, because from childhood I learned the following principle: the more boletus boletus, the better.
Edibility of oak boletus:
What do you think?
Remarks
Still, the best boletus is the boletus that grew under the aspen. A normal aspen boletus, with a red-orange cap and a thick white-scaled leg. The fashion for oak and pine red-headed boletus comes and goes, while the classic shapes and colors remain forever.