The Penny Bun (Boletus edulis), also known as the Cep, is the most famous edible mushroom in Europe. Its smooth cap, pale to reddish-brown and slightly greasy when wet, looks like a glazed bread roll, which gives it its English name. The pores are white at first and turn greenish-yellow with age, and the stout stem, slim or very swollen, is covered in a fine white net that is clearest at the top. The firm white flesh does not change colour when cut.
It grows with a wide range of broadleaf trees and conifers, from June into November, and is widespread and common.
The Bitter Bolete (Tylopilus felleus) has a dark net on the stem, pinkish pores and a very bitter taste. The Penny Bun is one of the finest edible mushrooms, but boletes with red or pink pores should be left alone.
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Distribution
Widespread and common
Habitat
With a wide range of host trees, both conifers and broadleaved. Occasionally grows with Helianthemum in open calcareous grasslands.
Etymology
Boletus is from the Greek bolos, 'a lump'. edulis is Latin for 'edible'.
Conservation
Cap
Smooth and slightly greasy when wet, pale to reddish-brown, often with a paler edge.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Shape | Convex |
| Surface | Smooth, Viscid |
| Width | 5 - 25 cm |
| Margin | Smooth |
Pores
Small and white at first, turning greenish-yellow with age; unchanging when bruised.
| Colour |
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Tubes
White at first, then yellowish to olive, separating easily from the cap.
Flesh
The flesh is thick, white and firm, and does not change colour when cut, with no blue staining. It has a faint, pleasant smell and a mild, nutty taste.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Odour | Faint and pleasant |
Stem
The stem is white to pinkish-buff, club- or barrel-shaped, varying from cylindric to very fat and swollen. A fine white network (reticulation) covers the apex or the whole stem, and is clearest near the top.
| Colour |
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Spores
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Shape | Subfusiform |
| Ornamentation | Smooth |
| Size | 16-19 x 5-6 μm |
Classification
- ↳ Phylum: Basidiomycota
- ↳ Subphylum: Agaricomycotina
- ↳ Class: Agaricomycetes
- ↳ Subclass: Agaricomycetidae
- ↳ Order: Boletales
- ↳ Family: Boletaceae
- ↳ Genus: Boletus
Synonyms
- Boletus betulicola (Vassilkov) Pilát & Dermek
- Boletus bulbosus Schaeff.
- Boletus edulis Fr.
- Boletus edulis f. arcticus Vassilkov
- Boletus edulis f. betulicola Vassilkov
- Boletus edulis f. laevipes
- Boletus edulis f. laevipes (Massee) Vassilkov
- Boletus edulis subsp. trisporus Duncan{?} & Watling
- Boletus edulis subsp. trisporus U.K. Duncan & Watling
- Boletus edulis var. arcticus (Vassilkov) Hlaváček
- Boletus edulis var. betulicola Vassilkov
- Boletus edulis var. bulbosus
- Boletus edulis var. bulbosus (Schaeff.) anon. ined.
- Boletus edulis var. laevipes Massee
- Boletus edulis var. trisporus (Duncan{?} & Watling) anon. ined.
- Boletus edulis var. trisporus (U.K. Duncan & Watling) anon. ined.
- Boletus persoonii Bon non Schaeff., 1774
- Boletus solidus Sowerby
- Leccinum edule (Bull.) Gray
Reference Sources
G. Kibby (2017) British Boletes with keys to species. Geoffrey Kibby.
T. Læssøe, J. H. Peterson (2019) Fungi of Temperate Europe Vol. 1. Princeton University Press.
G. Kibby (2020) Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain & Europe Vol. 1. Geoffrey Kibby.
Genus Boletus
No other species found in this genus.
