Species details
Slippery jack
Suillus luteus
Conditional / expert preparation
Photo: Björn S... · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Photo source · License
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Description
A slimy brown bolete with yellow pores and a distinct whitish to violet ring.
Identification features
The cap skin peels easily; above the ring the stem is yellow and finely dotted.
Identification checklist
Check the entire fruitbody for identification. A slimy brown bolete with yellow pores and a distinct whitish to violet ring. The cap skin peels easily; above the ring the stem is yellow and finely dotted. Typical habitat: Always with pine, especially on sandy or acidic soil.
Detailed features
- Cap
- 4–12 cm, light to dark brown, smooth and very slimy when wet; the skin peels easily.
- Hymenophore
- Pores pale yellow, later olive-brown.
- Stem
- 5–8 × 1–2 cm, with a membranous ring; yellowish above and sometimes violet-brown below.
- Flesh
- Whitish to yellowish, soft when old, without blueing.
- Smell
- Pleasant.
- Spore print
- Ochraceous brown.
Size
- Cap diameter
- 4–12 cm
- Stem height
- 5–8 cm
- Stem diameter
- 1–2 cm
Habitat
Always with pine, especially on sandy or acidic soil.
Fruiting period
June, July, August, September, October, November
Ecology
- Trophic mode
- Mycorrhizal
- Host trees
- Pine (Pinus)
- Substrate
- Grassland, Forest soil
- Notes
- Mycorrhizal with pine, often at pine woodland edges and in grass near pines.
How to separate similar species
Compare especially with these similar species: Suillus granulatus, Suillus collinitus, Suillus mediterraneensis. Check the combination of cap shape and colour, spore-bearing surface, stem, flesh changes and habitat. A single feature or photograph is not enough; if the key characters do not match the description, do not treat the identification as confirmed.
Similar species
- Weeping bolete (Suillus granulatus)
Lacks a ring, and young fruitbodies show milky droplets on the pores.
- Suillus collinitus (Suillus collinitus)
Lacks a ring; pinkish mycelium is often visible at the base.
- Suillus mediterraneensis
Usually paler yellow-brown and warmth-loving; reliable separation requires several characters.