Fungus Portraits
No. 2. Two-colored Bolete
Boletus bicolor
Yves Lamoureux
Translation: Judy Hernandez
One of the most beautiful species of our flora is the Two-colored Bolete (Boletus bicolor). This is a widespread mushroom in eastern North America. You find it quite frequently in southern Quebec in the hardwood forests. It is a mycorrhizal species that grows under beeches and oaks, just as well on sandy soil as on clayey soil. This bolete fruits often in large troops. You can sometimes see more than a hundred of them inside a rather limited area. It can appear early in the summer season, from the end of June; however, it is in August that it is the most frequent.
The meaning of its scientific name is not well understood. Indeed, the meaning and origin of the word Boletus constitutes a mystery not yet resolved. You know that Boletus was used formerly to designate all terrestrial mushrooms, just as well for the edibles as for the poisonous ones. The hypothesis retained in the historical dictionary of the French language ("Le Robert") is that Boletus would have been derived from Boletum, a city in Spain. That is plausible, as we know that attributions of place names to mushrooms is a common practice. As for bicolor, this epithet means "of two colours".
You recognize the Two-colored Bolete easily enough by its cap and stalk in the tones of red wine and yellow, its tubes blueing on contact, small pores, and its flesh changing slightly when cut. It can be confused with species of the Boletus sensibilis group, but these possess a flesh that turns blue rapidly when cut. The Reddish Bolete (Xerocomus rubellus) is a species of smaller height that differs by its wide pores and its velvety cap becoming cracked with age. A good photograph of the Two-colored Bolete is found in Phillips (1991, Mushrooms of North America, p. 222).
The Two-colored Bolete is an edible mushroom. Its flavour is not very strong, but its texture is excellent. A good way to prepare it is in omelette. As with many other bluing Boletes, it is possible for some persons to be sensitive to it. It is therefore recommended to eat not more that a small amount when eating it for the first time, and to always cook it enough. Those who wish to eat it should be advised that it exerts a strong attraction on the biggest enemies of mushroom lovers: worms, of course!
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