Tylopilus porphyrosporus (Fries) Smith & Thiers
Boletes of Michigan, p.98. 1971.

Common Name: none

Synonyms: Tylopilus pseudoscaber (Secretan) Smith & Thiers, Porphyrellus porphyrosporus (Fries) Gilb.

• Pileus

  Cap 7-12 cm broad, convex, expanding to plano-convex; margin decurved becoming nearly plane at maturity; surface dark-brown, dull, matted tomentose, in age blackish-brown, sometimes patchy-areolate; context 1.0-1.5 cm thick, soft, whitish, unchanging or slowly pinkish-tan to pale blue; odor and taste "fungal."

• Hymenophore

  Pores 1-2 per mm when young, approximately 1 per mm at maturity, angular, at first dingy light-brown, medium-brown in age, sometimes bluing where bruised; tubes, up to 1.5 cm long, concolorous with the pores, depressed at the stipe.

• Stipe

  Stipe 7-15 cm long, 1.5-3.0 cm thick, solid, equal to tapering to an enlarged base; surface fibrillose-striate, the fibrils blackish-brown over a pallid ground color, darker where handled, sometimes pinkish where bruised, then blackish-brown; context fleshy, white, the upper portion when cut, slowly greyish, then blackish-grey, the base when cut turning pinkish-tan, then dark-grey; exterior of stipe base whitish, often well rooted in the substrate; partial veil absent.

• Spores

  Spores 14.5-17.0 x 6.0-7.5 µm, smooth, thick-walled, ellipsoid to subfusoid, 1-3 guttulate, hilar appendage inconspicuous; spore print reddish-brown.

• Habitat

  Solitary to scattered under conifers, especially Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis); fairly common from Mendocino Co. north along the California coast; fruiting from late fall to mid-winter. Less common south of Mendocino, usually associated with pines.

• Edibility

  Experience is limited, but it is probably edible.

• Comments

  Tylopilus porphyrosporus is one of California's more distinctive boletes with a dark-brown to almost blackish color. It is also the Tylopilus species most likely to be encountered, at least along California's north coast. Tylopilus indecisus is similar, but is lighter-colored and has a conspicuously reticulate stipe. An unusual aspect of Tylopilus porphyrosporus is the color changes it exhibits when cut or bruised. These typically are slow to develop and usually involve an initial change from cream to pale pink, then greyish-black, or in some cases, at first pale blue, then greyish-black. This species often stains wax paper collecting bags blue.

  Unfortunately, the name Tylopilus pseudoscaber is invalid according to the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. Tylopilus porphyrosporus is the proper name for this taxa.

• References

  Bessette, A.E., Roody, W.C. & Bessette, A.R. (2000). North American Boletes: A Color Guide to the Fleshy Pored Mushrooms. Syracuse University Press: Syracuse, NY. 400 p.
  Thiers, H.D. (1975). California Mushrooms--A Field Guide to the Boletes. Hafner Press: New York, NY. 261 p.
  Wolfe Jr., C.B. (1979). Austroletus and Tylopilus subgenus Porphyrellus, with Emphasis on North American Taxa. J. Cramer: Vaduz. 148 p.

• Other Descriptions and Photos
  • Darvin DeShazer: Tylopilus porphyrosporus (CP)
  • Fred Stevens: Tylopilus porphyrosporus (CP)
  • Boletes of California: Tylopilus pseudoscaber (D)
  • Handbook to Strategy 1 Fungal Species in the Northwest Forest Plan: Tylopilus porphyrosporus (D & CP)
  • Boleslaw Kuznik -- Hunting for Mushrooms: Tylopilus pseudoscaber (CP)
  • Forest Mycology and Mycorrhiza Research Team: Tylopilus pseudoscaber (CP)
  • Mushroom Observer: Tylopilus porphyrosporus (CP)
  • Arora (1986): p. 534 (D), p. 535 (P) [as Tylopilus pseudoscaber]
  • Bessette et al. (2000): p. 269 (D), p. 345 (CP) [as Tylopilus pseudoscaber]
  • Breitenbach & Kränzlin (v. 3): sp. 1 (D, I, & CP) [as Porphyrellus porphyrosporus]
  • Lincoff: p. 595 (D), plate 378 (CP) [as Tylopilus pseudoscaber]
  • Orr & Orr: p. 99 (D) [as Tylopilus pseudoscaber]
  • Phillips: p. 241 (D & CP) [as Tylopilus pseudoscaber]
  • Smith (1975): sp. (D & CP) [as Tylopilus pseudoscaber]
  • Thiers (1975): p. 231 (D) [as Tylopilus pseudoscaber]
  • Tylutki (1987): p. 37 (D), p. 38 (P) [as Tylopilus pseudoscaber]
  
  

  (D=Description; I=Illustration; P=Photo; CP=Color Photo)