Species details

Saffron bolete

Leccinellum crocipodium

Conditional / expert preparation
Saffron bolete – Leccinellum crocipodium

Photo: Paffka · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo source · License

Description

A yellowish Leccinellum with yellow pores and a rough scabered stem, bruising reddish and later black; protected in Slovenia.

Identification features

The cap is 5–15 cm wide, yellow, yellow-brown to ochre, often velvety and cracked. Pores are yellow, later olive-greenish. The stem is yellow and roughly scabered; flesh reddens then blackens in air.

Identification checklist

Check the yellow cap and pores, rough scabered stem and the sequence of flesh reddening followed by blackening.

Detailed features

Cap
The cap is 5–15 cm wide, yellow, yellow-brown to ochre, often velvety and cracked.
Hymenophore
Pores are yellow, later olive-greenish.
Stem
The stem is yellow and roughly scabered; flesh reddens then blackens in air.
Flesh
The stem is yellow and roughly scabered; flesh reddens then blackens in air.

Size

Cap diameter
5–15 cm

Habitat

Grows with broadleaved trees, especially beech, in warm summers and autumn; relatively rare.

Fruiting period

June, July, August, September

Ecology

Host trees
Beech (Fagus)
Notes
Grows with broadleaved trees, especially beech, in warm summers and autumn; relatively rare.

How to separate similar species

Hemileccinum impolitum has a smooth stem and its flesh does not blacken in the same way. Expert confirmation is useful for rare yellow boletes.

Similar species

Conservation

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

Extended-description sources