Boletus satanas

The Devil's bolete (Boletus satanas), also known as Satan's mushroom, is a fungus of the bolete family. It is a poisonous mushroom. Its bright colours, impressive size, and globulous form make it stand out. It is the largest bolete growing in Europe.

Description
The compact pileus can be up to 25 cm (10 inches) wide. At first it is hemispheric, later it is spread out in the shape of a pad, and in older specimens it is bent irregularly. When young, the pileus is greyish white, when older it tends more to a greenish ochre or leather colour.

The skin of the pileus grows in finely tomentose, becomes smooth later and then often slightly sticky. The tubules are first pale yellow and then become greenish yellow and slightly blue-green. Young mushrooms have yellowish pores, but they turn reddish very soon and are already entirely red before full maturity.

The stipe is 5–12 cm (2–4¾ inches) long and is often very bulbous (4–10 cm/1½–4 inches); usually it is wider than it is long and when young it is even almost spherical. It has a yellow background covered with a hexagonal close-meshed net that starts bright red and turns dark blood-red and which sometimes reaches to the yellowish base layer.

The flesh is whitish, yellow to pale ochre, turns slightly blue or very rarely reddish when broken. The smell is weak when the mushroom is young, but later, after it has been left lying for a while, it becomes putrid.

Similar species
The Devil's bolete can be confused with other boletes such as:
 * B. erythropus
 * B. calopus
 * B. luridus
 * B. rhodoxanthus
 * B. splendidus
 * B. torosus

Distribution and habitat
The Devil's bolete is found in the entire temperate zone, but in Europe it definitely occurs more in the south. It grows in hardwood forests under beeches, oaks, and hornbeams. Preferring limey soil, it appears in summer and the beginning of the autumn in the southernmost areas. It is rather rare in the north, as it grows only in hot and sunny periods.

Toxicity
The Devil's bolete is poisonous, especially when eaten raw but also when cooked, and causes violent vomiting which can last up to six hours. Fortunately, it is fairly easy to identify, and rarely deadly even when eaten.