Black Velvet Bolete

(Tylopilus alboater)

Conservation Status
Black Velvet Bolete
Photo by Honey Fae (Farah)
  IUCN Red List

not listed

 
  NatureServe

NNR - Unranked

 
  Minnesota

not listed

 
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
 
Description
 
 

Black Velvet Bolete is a dark, medium-sized mushroom. It occurs in eastern Asia and North America. In the United States it occurs from Massachusetts to Florida, west to Minnesota and eastern Texas, and in southern Ontario Canada. It is rare in Minnesota, where it is at the western extent of its range. It is found in summer and fall, alone, scattered, or in groups, in deciduous and mixed woodlands. It grows on the ground, usually under hardwood trees, especially oak. It has a mutually beneficial relationship (mycorrhizal) with the tiny rootlets of trees, absorbing sugars and amino acids while helping the tree absorb water.

The cap is blackish-brown to dark grayish-brown or black. When it first appears it is convex, the upper surface is dry and is densely covered with short velvety hairs, and it is covered with a whitish to gray powder. As it matures it flattens out, becoming broadly convex. The mature cap is hairless and 1½ to 3¾ (4.0 to 9.5 mm) in diameter. When handled it bruises black. Older caps are finely cracked.

The stalk is dry, hairless, 2 to 2¾ (5 to 7 cm) long, and to ¾ (15 to 20 mm) thick. It is more or less equal in size but is sometimes enlarged at the base. It is the same color as the cap or a little lighter for most of its length, whitish and pinkish near the top. The surface is usually not covered with a network of fine ridges (reticulate) but is sometimes reticulate near the top. It bruises dark brown to black when handled.

The pore surface is bright white when young, becoming pinkish as it ages. When bruised it usually stains first red then brown and eventually black, but sometimes goes directly to black. There are 2 pores per millimeter. The pore tubes are up to (10 mm) deep.

The flesh is thick and white. When sliced it stains pinkish at first then slowly turns gray when exposed to air. It is edible when young, but like other boletes, mature specimens are often riddled with maggots.

The spore print is pink.

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Habitat and Hosts
 
 

Deciduous and mixed woodlands

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Season

 
 

Summer and fall

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

4, 24, 26, 29, 30, 77.

 
  9/5/2022      
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Rare in Minnesota

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Fungi (fungi)  
  Subkingdom Dikarya  
  Phylum Basidiomycota (club fungi)  
  Subphylum Agaricomycotina (jelly fungi, yeasts, and mushrooms)  
  Class Agaricomycetes (mushrooms, bracket fungi, puffballs, and allies)  
  Subclass Agaricomycetidae  
  Order Boletales (boletes and allies)  
  Suborder Boletineae  
 

Family

Boletaceae (boletes)  
  Subfamily Boletoideae  
 

Genus

Tylopilus  
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Boletus alboater

Porphyrellus alboater

Suillus alboater

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

Black Velvet Bolete

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Mycorrhizal

A symbiotic, usually beneficial relationship between a fungus and the tiny rootlets of a plant, usually a tree.

 

 

 

 

 
 
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Honey Fae (Farah)

 
 

… I’ve only ever found them once in August of 2020, just two growing out of a mossy tree trunk.

 
    Black Velvet Bolete      
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

 

 
           

 

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  Honey Fae (Farah)
August 2020

Location: Anoka County

… I’ve only ever found them once in August of 2020, just two growing out of a mossy tree trunk.

Black Velvet Bolete

 
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
 

 

 

 

 

Binoculars


Created: 9/5/2022

Last Updated:

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