Caloboletus marshii
| Caloboletus marshii | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Boletales |
| Family: | Boletaceae |
| Genus: | Caloboletus |
| Species: | C. marshii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Caloboletus marshii D. Arora, C.F. Schwarz, J.F. Frank
| |
| Caloboletus marshii | |
|---|---|
| Pores on hymenium | |
| Cap is convex | |
| Stipe is bare | |
| Spore print is olive-brown | |
| Ecology is mycorrhizal | |
| Edibility is inedible | |
Caloboletus marshii, commonly known as Ben's bitter bolete,[2][3] is a species of mushroom in the family Boletaceae. It is not poisonous, but it is too bitter to eat.[2][3] It turns blue when cut or bruised, and it grows under live oak.[3]
Taxonomy
Caloboletus marshii was first unofficially described by David Arora as Boletus "marshii" in his book Mushrooms Demystified, which was first published in 1979 and later revised in 1986.[2][1][4] In 2014, Jonathan L. Frank formally described the species as Caloboletus marshii.[1]
Description
The cap of Caloboletus marshii is about 2-6 inches (6-15 cm) across, and the stipe is about 1-4 inches (3-10 cm) long and 0.7-4 inches (3-10 cm) wide.[3] The pore surface and the flesh are yellow, and quickly turn blue when bruised or cut.[3][2]
Similar species
Caloboletus marshii can be confused with the brown butter bolete, Butryiboletus persolidus.[3] It can also be confused with the white king bolete, Boletus barrowsii, which doesn't bruise blue as much as Caloboletus marshii.[3][5]
Habitat and ecology
Caloboletus marshii is a mycorrhizal fungus that grows under live oaks in California,[2][4] Oregon, and Washington.[4] It fruits in late summer and fall, often before the rains come. It is rarely found fruiting in November.[3]
Edibility and discovery
Caloboletus marshii is inedible due to its extremely bitter taste. However, this didn't stop a man named Ben Marsh from repeatedly trying to make it edible. This brought the mushroom to David Arora's attention, and he named it after Ben Marsh.[2][3][4]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Siegel, N. (2021). "Caloboletus marshii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T195923616A195926787. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T195923616A195926787.en.
- ^ a b c d e f Arora, David (1986). Mushrooms demystified: a comprehensive guide to the fleshy fungi (2nd ed.). Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. ISBN 978-0-89815-169-5.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Schwarz, Christian; Siegel, Noah (2016). Mushrooms of the redwood coast: a comprehensive guide to the fungi of coastal northern California. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. ISBN 978-1-60774-817-5.
- ^ a b c d Frank JL (24 October 2014). "Nomenclatural novelties" (PDF). Index Fungorum: 1. ISSN 2049-2375.
- ^ "| The Santa Cruz Mycoflora Project". scmycoflora.org. Retrieved 2024-07-14.