Boletus pinophilus

Boletus pinophilus, commonly known as the pine bolete or pinewood king bolete, is a basidiomycete fungus of the genus Boletus. Described by Italian naturalist Carlo Vittadini in 1835, B. pinophilus was for many years considered a subspecies or form of the porcini mushroom B. edulis before genetic studies confirmed its distinct status. In 2008, B. pinophilus in western North America were reclassified as a new species, B. rex-veris. The fungus produces spore-bearing fruit bodies (i.e. mushrooms) above ground under pine trees in summer and autumn. It has a red-brown to maroon-coloured cap and a large and bulbous stipe, covered with coarse orange-red reticulation. As with other boletes, the size of the fruiting body is variable. The fungus is found throughout Europe and western Asia. It grows predominantly in coniferous forests on sandy soil, forming ectomycorrhizal associations in symbiosis with living trees by enveloping the tree's underground roots with sheaths of fungal tissue. Host tr......read more on Wikipedia.