Boletes (pores under the cap)

Scarletina bolete

Neoboletus erythropus · also known as: Red-footed bolete, Dotted-stem bolete

Edible with care

Edible only after thorough cooking – raw or undercooked it causes gastrointestinal upset. Because of its red pores and strongly bluing flesh it is easily confused with other “colourful boletes”, including poisonous ones; pick only when the identification is certain.

Photo: George Chernilevsky / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

How to recognise it: scarletina bolete

1
Brick-red pores
2
Yellow stem with red dots, WITHOUT a network
3
Yellow flesh turns navy blue instantly
4
Cap dark brown, suede-like

Description

Cap: 5–20 cm across, dark brown, chestnut-brown, with brick or olive tones with age; surface matt, suede-like, bald in old specimens.
Tubes and pores: Tubes yellow to olive; pores brick-red to orange-red; everything turns strongly blue immediately when pressed.
Stem: Yellow background densely covered with red dots or granules – no network; dark navy blue after light pressure.
Flesh: Yellow; turns intensely navy-blue immediately when cut.
Smell and taste: Smell faint, taste mild.

Where and when it grows

Broadleaf and coniferous forests, especially beech and spruce forests on acidic, poor soils; more common in southern Poland, in the foothills and mountains.

Most often with: beech, spruce, fir, hornbeam, oak, lime

Season in Poland (May–October)

May, June, July, August, September, October

Where are conditions good today?

Look-alikes: what it can be mistaken for

Devil's bolete Poisonous medium risk
The devil's bolete also has red pores and bluing flesh, but it has a light grey, silvery cap and a red network on the stem (the scarletina bolete has dots/granules, no network), whitish flesh that turns only slightly blue; it grows only on limestone in warm beech woods. It is poisonous and strictly protected.
Step-by-step comparison: Scarletina bolete or devil's bolete →
Bay bolete Edible low risk
The bay bolete has a similarly dark cap and also turns blue, but it has yellow (not red) pores and a stem without red dots.

In the kitchen

Only well boiled, fried or stewed (formerly parboiling and discarding the water was recommended). The dark blue colour disappears during cooking. Picked traditionally mainly in southern Poland.

Watch out for toxins

Raw or undercooked it causes gastrointestinal upset; sources do not name a specific toxin.

Protection and sale

Species protection: the species is not protected.
Sale: the species is not on the list of mushrooms approved for sale.

Where you may pick mushrooms →

Scarletina bolete: common questions

Is the scarletina bolete edible?

Edible with care. Edible only after thorough cooking – raw or undercooked it causes gastrointestinal upset. Because of its red pores and strongly bluing flesh it is easily confused with other “colourful boletes”, including poisonous ones; pick only when the identification is certain.

When does the scarletina bolete grow?

In Poland the fruiting bodies usually appear in: May, June, July, August, September, October. Habitat: Broadleaf and coniferous forests, especially beech and spruce forests on acidic, poor soils; more common in southern Poland, in the foothills and mountains.

What can the scarletina bolete be mistaken for?

Devil's bolete (poisonous): The devil's bolete also has red pores and bluing flesh, but it has a light grey, silvery cap and a red network on the stem (the scarletina bolete has dots/granules, no network), whitish flesh that turns only slightly blue; it grows only on limestone in warm beech woods. It is poisonous and strictly protected. Bay bolete (edible): The bay bolete has a similarly dark cap and also turns blue, but it has yellow (not red) pores and a stem without red dots.