Boletus satanas

Boletus satanas, commonly known as the Devil's bolete or Satan's mushroom, is a basidiomycete fungus of the bolete family. It is a poisonous mushroom, with symptoms predominantly gastointestinal in nature. The squat, brightly coloured fruiting bodies are large and imposing. It is the largest bolete growing in Europe.

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Description

The compact pileus can be up to 25 cm (10 inches) wide. At first it is hemispheric, later it is spread out in the shape of a pad, and in older specimens it is bent irregularly. When young, the pileus is greyish white, when older it tends more to a greenish ochre or leather colour.

The skin of the pileus grows in finely tomentose, becomes smooth later and then often slightly sticky. The tubules are first pale yellow and then become greenish yellow and slightly blue-green. Young mushrooms have yellowish pores, but they turn reddish very soon and are already entirely red before full maturity.

The stipe is 5–12 cm (2–4¾ inches) long and is often very bulbous (4–10 cm/1½–4 inches); usually it is wider than it is long and when young it is even almost spherical. It has a yellow background covered with a hexagonal close-meshed net that starts bright red and turns dark blood-red and which sometimes reaches to the yellowish base layer.

The flesh is whitish, yellow to pale ochre, turns slightly blue or very rarely reddish when broken. The smell is weak when the mushroom is young, but later, after it has been left lying for a while, it becomes putrid.

Similar species

The Devil's bolete can be confused with other boletes such as:

• B. erythropus
• B. calopus
• B. luridus
• B. rhodoxanthus
• B. splendidus
• B. torosus

Distribution and habitat

The Devil's bolete is found in the entire temperate zone, but in Europe it definitely occurs more in southern regions. It grows in hardwood forests under beeches, oaks, and hornbeams. Preferring limey soil, it appears in summer and the beginning of the autumn in the southernmost areas. It is rather rare in the north, as it grows only in hot and sunny periods.

Toxicity

The Devil's bolete is poisonous, especially when eaten raw but also when cooked. The symptoms are predominantly gastrointestinal in nature, with violent vomiting which can last up to six hours. Muscarine has been isolated from fruiting bodies but the quantities are believed too small to account for its toxic effects. More recently, the glycoprotein bolesatine has been isolated.[1]

Fortunately, it is fairly easy to identify, if one obeys the rule of avoiding all red-pored boletes.

References

• North, Pamela (1967). Poisonous Plants and Fungi in colour. Blandford Press & Pharmacological Society of Great Britain. 

Bibliography

• Helmut und Renate Grünert: Pilze (1984), Mosaik-Verlag, 287 pages
• Meinhard Moser, Helmut Gams: Kleine Kryptogamenflora, vol. 2, Die Röhrlinge, Blätter- und Bauchpilze (Agaricales und Gastromycetales) (1980), Fischer-Verlag

This article incorporates text translated from the corresponding German and French Wikipedia articles as of 3 June 2006.