Today we are going to talk about a species of mushroom that is unmistakable. Its about boletus regius. It is also known by the name of the royal mushroom. It is unmistakable given that it has a reddish or pink color in its hat and a lemon yellow color in both the foot and the pores. It is called by different names such as madeirudo in Galician, onddo erregea, in Basque, Mataparent reial, in Catalan, and Pugigons, in Aragonese.
In this article we are going to tell you everything you need to know about the Boletus regius.
Key features
His hat has the typical shape that all species of the genus Boletus possess. At first it is hemispherical alive evolving towards a convex shape. There are some occasions when it can be turned into an almost totally flat hat. The surface of the entire skin of this fungus is uneven. We can frequently find some dents that do not indicate that the fungus is in bad condition. It is just part of its texture.
You have a quite appreciable size, measuring up to 18 centimeters. It has a lot of meat and is consistent. As for its cuticle, it is totally separable from the meat and with a more or less intense pink color, sometimes turning purple. The base of this hat is slightly velvety. This is what gives it a very particular color and why it is usually unmistakable. As they grow older, it is normal to see their skin crack., especially if the environment where they are growing does not have enough humidity.
The tubes that it has in its hymenium have a pretty or lemon yellow color and are approximately 5 to 10 millimeters long. The pores are quite small in size and circular in shape. As fungi develop into adulthood, their color becomes autonomous greenish and their pores become slightly larger.
It is a species of the genus Boletus that does not blue when touched or cut. Although there are some people who claim that it is and they blue, but they do it very slightly. It has a foot of a fairly short but robust or resistant. It has a lemon yellow color just like the pores. It is only 5 to 10 centimeters long and 2 to 6 centimeters in diameter. It is quite frequent that it is attacked by larvae both inside and outside and they cause pink spots to appear.
Finally, its meat is yellow and quite thick. The greatest degree of thickness is found in the foot. It has a quite pleasant and mild smell and is quite famous for the taste it has. It is used in gastronomy because its delicious flavor is reminiscent of hazelnuts.
Ecology and area of distribution of boletus regius
El boletus regius appear in late summer and even mid-autumn. This is so as long as the autumns are quite rainy but hot. They do not bear too much cold, so we classify this species of fungus as thermophilic. The hottest summers and high years are those that profess even greater growth of this species.
It is a mycorrhizal fungus of flat-leaf trees. We can find them in forests where oaks abound. It is also associated with holm oak forests although not so abundant. Among the oaks in which we can most frequently find al boletus regius this the Quercus pyrenaica.
It grows mostly on siliceous soils and can also grow under other oak species such as the Quercus petrea and Quercus robur. Regarding its area of distribution, it is mostly found in the north of the peninsula, Sistema Central, Sistema Ibérico, the Pyrenees and the southwest of the peninsula. Where it is most abundant is in Palencia, Zamora, León, Salamanca and Ávila. However, in Catalonia some beech trees only appear sporadically in association. In the Sierra de Guadarrama we can find some specimens under the oak groves. But these should not be collected because they are not edible.
Edibility and confusions of the boletus regius
The reddish or pink color that it has in its hat can lead to confusion as with the one with the Boletus satanas. To avoid these confusions, you have to pay close attention to check that the Boletus satanas is a poisonous fungus and has this red color on its feet and pores, while the boletus regius they are yellow in color. The main difference is that the hat of the Boletus satanas is white or cream, while that of boletus regius it is reddish or pinkish in color.
Another confusion you may have is that it is similar to Boletus pseudoregius. This specimen bluffs gently when cut and the hat is a little paler in color. It is perhaps the biggest confusion you can have. However, it is not dangerous to confuse it as this specimen is also a good edible. The difference can also rewrite in that el Boletus pseudoregius grows preferably in cork oak forests, while the boletus regius he did it in oak groves.
It also looks like Boletus speciosus which has the redder cuticle and is also blue when the hat is cut. When the base is cut it becomes more reddened. This species appears more in beech forests than in oak forests. There is also no need to be confused as this is also a good edible.
Finally, it can also be confused with the Boletus appendiculatus. This species has a brown cuticle and is also blue when pressed.
In terms of edibility it is excellent. It is at the level of fungi of the genus Boletus such as Edulis. It is a gastronomic delicacy widely used in many dishes. It is mainly used as a garnish in dishes whose main food is meat. It should be noted that the foot is a bit hard and it is drunk to prepare in a different way than the hat.
As a curiosity, we can say that, being a rare species in some parts of the peninsula, there are administrations that are in charge of controlling and restricting its collection. In the hottest years it is when it becomes a more abundant species than others.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about the boletus regius and can recognize it for collection.
Very good explanations, correct and clear. A pleasure.
Thanks Mario.