Image of Boletus luridus

Description:

Slo.: noroglavka, svinjski goban - Habitat: southeast inclined mountain slope, mixed wood, dominant trees Ostrya carpinifolia, Picea abies and Fagus sylvatica; in a thicket of young Picea abies, in shade, relatively warm place; calcareous ground, partly protected from direct rain by tree canopies, average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 7-9 deg C, elevation 750 m (2.500 feet), alpine phytogeographical region. - Substratum: soil covered by leaf in needles litter. - Comments: Although Boletus luridus is probably the most frequent of all boletes in Posoje and I've seen and photographed them many times, I could not resist taking pictures of this beautiful group of a few young fruitbodies well hidden under young European spruce thickets. Boletus luridus is very colorful, meaning more many colored than of one or two saturated uniform colors. One can find all kinds of shade of red, blue and green (when bruised), yellow, ocher, brown, black and who knows which else color. Having very characteristic red net on its stipe, it is usually easy to determine it correctly. Rapidly and drastically changing color on all its parts when handled also helps. Some people claim it is eatable but I haven't (yet?) try it. All I know is that snails like it very much. - Ref.: (1) Personal communication with Mr. Anton Poler. (2) http://www.mykonet.ch/images/Roehrlinge/Boletus_luridus401.JPG - (3) G. Pace, Vse o gobah (in Slovene), Mladinska Knjiga (1997), p257. - (4) J. Grom, Nae gobe (in Slovene), epna Knjiga, (1981), p29.