Species details

Gilded bolete

Aureoboletus gentilis

Conditional / expert preparation
Gilded bolete – Aureoboletus gentilis

Photo: Gerhard Koller (Gerhard) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo source · License

Description

A small pink- to reddish-brown bolete with a sticky cap and vivid golden-yellow pore surface; protected in Slovenia.

Identification features

The cap is 2–5 cm wide, pink to reddish-brown, initially velvety and sticky when wet. Pores are striking golden yellow and may become slightly olive-green when touched. The stem is slender, yellowish to pale pink.

Identification checklist

Check the small size, pink-brown sticky cap and especially the vivid golden-yellow pores. Do not collect because of its protected status.

Detailed features

Cap
The cap is 2–5 cm wide, pink to reddish-brown, initially velvety and sticky when wet.
Hymenophore
Pores are striking golden yellow and may become slightly olive-green when touched.
Stem
The stem is slender, yellowish to pale pink.

Size

Cap diameter
2–5 cm

Habitat

Grows in deciduous woodland, most often with oak, in summer and early autumn; rare.

Fruiting period

June, July, August, September, October

Ecology

Host trees
Oak (Quercus)
Notes
Grows in deciduous woodland, most often with oak, in summer and early autumn; rare.

How to separate similar species

Other small boletes can have yellow pores, but the combination of a sticky pink-brown cap and golden-yellow pore surface is highly distinctive.

Similar species

Conservation

Protected species
Yes
Red list
R – rare species
Notes
The species is legally protected in Slovenia under the regulation on protected wild fungi. On the Slovenian Red List: R – rare species.

Extended-description sources