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Scarletina bolete (Neoboletus erythropus), whole fruiting body
Wolfgang Ahlmer · CC BY 4.0
Inedible

Scarletina bolete

Neoboletus erythropus · Boletaceae

The scarletina bolete (Neoboletus erythropus) is a large bolete with a dark brown, velvety cap, red pores and a yellow stem covered in red dots; its flesh turns dark blue instantly when cut.

Last updated: Prepared by the Poros Mantar editorial team5 sources checkedReport a correction

FamilyBoletaceae
SeasonJun–Oct
Spore printOlive-brown
Cap width5–20 cm
Stem length5–15 cm
Records in Turkey10 records
CultivationWild only
StatusInedible

The scarletina bolete (Neoboletus erythropus) is a large bolete with a dark brown, velvety cap, red pores and a yellow stem covered in red dots; its flesh turns dark blue instantly when cut. It is poisonous raw; some sources say it is edible when well cooked, but it is easily confused with poisonous red-pored boletes, especially the devil's bolete. Our advice is not to eat it.

Also called: red-foot bolete, dotted-stem bolete Turkish: Kızıl bolet, kuzumantarı Synonyms: Boletus erythropus

Scarletina bolete (Neoboletus erythropus), whole fruiting body

How to recognise it

Scarletina bolete, part by part

No ring or volva Spore print: Olive-brown Not distinctive.

Scarletina bolete (Neoboletus erythropus), cap seen from above
Cap5–20 cm, hemispherical then convex; dark brown, chestnut to reddish-brown, dry and velvety, slightly tacky when wet.
Scarletina bolete (Neoboletus erythropus), pores under the cap, seen from below
PoresSmall, blood-red to orange-red pores that turn dark blue instantly when touched.
Scarletina bolete (Neoboletus erythropus), stem and stem base
Stem5–15 cm, stout and swollen; densely covered in red dots on a yellow ground, with no net pattern.

When and where

Jun–Oct

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Junin season
  7. Julin season
  8. Augin season
  9. Sepin season
  10. Octin season
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

It fruits from early summer to mid-autumn. Our Turkish records fall between June and October, most of them in June.

Type Inedible

Months seen JuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctober

Colour Brown

Regions Black Sea RegionMediterranean RegionMarmara RegionRizeTrabzonArtvinOsmaniyeSakaryaKastamonuBoluBursa

Where do scarletina boletes grow?

It grows from soil in conifer and mixed forests under spruce, fir, beech and oak, mostly on acidic soils; in Turkey it is seen more often in the Black Sea forests.

Where is scarletina boletes found in Turkey?

Our map data (GBIF and iNaturalist) holds 10 Turkish records: 2 each from Kastamonu and Artvin and one each from Trabzon, Osmaniye, Bolu, Bursa, Rize and Sakarya. Records have been published on DergiPark from Yenice in Karabük (Kaşık et al., 2022) and from the Ayder Plateau in Rize (Keleş and Gençcelep, 2023). Some sources treat the same species as Neoboletus luridiformis; the naming is disputed.

Which months

  1. Jan0
  2. Feb0
  3. Mar0
  4. Apr0
  5. May0
  6. Jun3
  7. Jul1
  8. Aug2
  9. Sep2
  10. Oct2
  11. Nov0
  12. Dec0

8 provinces, 10 observations (GBIF, iNaturalist); months from observation dates. Record density also reflects where observers work.

Latest scarletina bolete observations

On "illustrative" cards the image is a photo of the species; the observation photo cannot be shown here because of its licence, but can be seen at the source.

Scarletina bolete (Neoboletus erythropus), in its natural habitat
In its habitat

Look-alikes

What could it be confused with?

Scarletina bolete can be mistaken for the species below. Each card shows the look-alike and how it differs from Scarletina bolete.

Scarletina bolete (Neoboletus erythropus), whole fruiting body
This species Scarletina bolete
Devil's bolete (Rubroboletus satanas), whole fruiting body Poisonous

not Scarletina bolete

Devil’s bolete Rubroboletus satanas

Its cap is chalky white to grey-olive, the stem is bulbous and covered in a red net rather than dots; it smells foul when old and grows under broadleaf trees on calcareous soil.

Porcini (Boletus edulis), whole fruiting body Edible species

not Scarletina bolete

Porcini Boletus edulis

Its cap is a similar brown, but its pores go from white to yellow-green and are never red; the stem has a white net and the flesh does not turn blue.

Lurid bolete (Suillellus luridus) Poisonous

not Scarletina bolete

Lurid bolete Suillellus luridus

It also has red pores and bluing flesh, but its stem carries a distinct red net instead of dots and its cap is more olive-toned.

What it contains

Element and metal levels have been measured in specimens from the Ayder Plateau in Rize (Keleş and Gençcelep, 2023). Wild mushrooms can accumulate heavy metals from the soil.

General information, not a health claim.

The scarletina bolete is poisonous raw. Some sources say it is edible when well cooked, but it is easily confused with poisonous boletes that also have red pores and bluing flesh, especially the devil's bolete. Our advice is not to eat it. If poisoning is suspected, call poison control and keep any leftover mushroom.

Frequently asked questions

Is the scarletina bolete edible?

Our advice is not to eat it. It is poisonous raw; some sources say it is edible when well cooked, but it is easily confused with poisonous red-pored boletes.

Is it poisonous?

Raw or undercooked, it can cause gastrointestinal poisoning. The bigger danger is mistaking poisonous look-alikes such as the devil's bolete for it.

Why does it turn blue when cut?

Compounds in the flesh oxidise on contact with air and turn dark blue. This colour change alone says nothing about whether a bolete is edible.

How do you tell it from the devil's bolete?

The scarletina bolete has a dark brown cap and a red-dotted stem. The devil's bolete has a whitish-grey cap and a red net on its stem.

Is it the same as Neoboletus luridiformis?

The naming is disputed: Boletus erythropus was applied to this species for two centuries, and some sources now call the same species Neoboletus luridiformis.

Which forests does it grow in?

In conifer and mixed forests, mostly on acidic soil; in Turkey it is seen especially in the Black Sea forests.

When does it appear?

From early summer to mid-autumn; our Turkish records fall between June and October.

Where is it found in Turkey?

Our map data holds 10 records from Kastamonu, Artvin, Trabzon, Osmaniye, Bolu, Bursa, Rize and Sakarya, with a published record from Karabük too.

When is scarletina bolete season in Turkey?

In our calendar, scarletina bolete season runs Jun–Oct. It fruits from early summer to mid-autumn. Our Turkish records fall between June and October, most of them in June.

Where do scarletina boletes grow?

It grows from soil in conifer and mixed forests under spruce, fir, beech and oak, mostly on acidic soils; in Turkey it is seen more often in the Black Sea forests.

Where are scarletina boletes found in Turkey?

Our map data (GBIF and iNaturalist) holds 10 Turkish records: 2 each from Kastamonu and Artvin and one each from Trabzon, Osmaniye, Bolu, Bursa, Rize and Sakarya. Records have been published on DergiPark from Yenice in Karabük (Kaşık et al., 2022) and from the Ayder Plateau in Rize (Keleş and Gençcelep, 2023). Some sources treat the same species as Neoboletus luridiformis; the naming is disputed.

What can the scarletina bolete be confused with?

The scarletina bolete can be confused with Devil's bolete (Rubroboletus satanas, poisonous), porcini (Boletus edulis, edible species) and lurid bolete (Suillellus luridus, poisonous). Look-alikes are compared on this page.

What is the scarletina bolete called in Turkish?

In Turkish, the scarletina bolete (Neoboletus erythropus) is called Kızıl bolet; other local names include kuzumantarı.

Related species

All species → · Identify by photo →

Sources

  1. Kaşık ve ark. (2022), KSÜ Tarım ve Doğa Dergisi 25(6): 1264-1278: Macrofungi of Yenice (Karabük) District and New Records for Turkey dergipark.org.tr
  2. Keleş ve Gençcelep (2023), Anatolian Journal of Botany 7(1): 50-59: Wild mushrooms from Eastern Black Sea Region (Türkiye): Element concentrations and their health risk assessment dergipark.org.tr
  3. Wikipedia (EN): Neoboletus luridiformis (Boletus erythropus adlandırma tartışmasıyla) en.wikipedia.org
All sources (5)
  1. iNaturalist: Neoboletus erythropus (Türkçe ad ve Türkiye gözlemleri) inaturalist.org
  2. GBIF: Türkiye kayıtları gbif.org
Photo credits (9)