About this fungus
Poplar Bolete is a fungus in the Boletaceae family. Its habitat and field characteristics are summarised below.
A red-brown, suede-textured bolete near poplar, with yellow pores that remain mostly unchanged and a stem tapering deeply into the soil.
What to check
Confirm living poplar roots nearby, note whether pores and flesh change colour, inspect the crude reddish network near the stem top and retain a specimen for spore measurements or DNA.
Variation
Caps range from reddish yellow to rich red-brown or dark brown. Stem proportions vary greatly, but the base often narrows and roots deeply.
Lookalikes
Members of the Xerocomus subtomentosus complex are macroscopically very similar. Host preference helps, but microscopy and sometimes sequencing are required.
Habitat and range
A rare but probably overlooked European species known from the United Kingdom and scattered continental sites, with a strong association with Populus.
Food safety
Inedible.
Species to compare
Similar mushrooms to compare against: