''Suillus viscidus'' ( commonly known as the sticky bolete) is an edible, uncommon

mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. ''Toadstool'' generally denotes one poisonous to humans. The standard for the name "mushroom" is t ...

in the genus ''

Suillus ''Suillus'' is a genus of basidiomycete fungi in the family Suillaceae and order Boletales. Species in the genus are associated with trees in the pine family (Pinaceae), and are mostly distributed in temperate locations in the Northern Hemispher ...

''. It associates with

larch Larches are deciduous conifers in the genus ''Larix'', of the family Pinaceae (subfamily Laricoideae). Growing from tall, they are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the north and high on mountains furt ...

and is found throughout Europe and in Japan.

Description

The

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

is hemispherical when young, later convex to flat, whitish grey or darker. It is up to 12 cm in diameter. It is slimy, and blotchy when old. The large, angular pores on the underside of the cap are coloured pallid to yellowish at first, but become darker with maturity. Young specimens bear a whitish

partial veil In mycology, a partial veil (also called an inner veil, to differentiate it from the "outer", or universal veil) is a temporary structure of tissue found on the fruiting bodies of some basidiomycete fungi, typically agarics. Its role is to isolate ...

which soon shreds, sometimes leaving fragments on the cap edge. The

tubes Tube or tubes may refer to: * ''Tube'' (2003 film), a 2003 Korean film * ''The Tube'' (TV series), a music related TV series by Channel 4 in the United Kingdom * "Tubes" (Peter Dale), performer on the Soccer AM television show * Tube (band), a ...

are concolorous, and have a slightly decurrent stem attachment. The

stem Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

bears a thin, slimy, dark-coloured

ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

in the uppermost part of the stem which is sometimes lost in mature specimens. The stem is divided by the ring into a short lighter, yellowish section above, and a duller, greyish section below, which is viscid. The flesh is whitish, staining bluish, very soft and has a mild or non-distinct taste. The

spores In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, f ...

are clay-coloured and ellipsoid or subfusiform in shape. Their dimensions are 10–12 by 4–5.5 μm. It is an

edible mushroom Edible mushrooms are the fleshy and edible fruit bodies of several species of macrofungi (fungi which bear fruiting structures that are large enough to be seen with the naked eye). They can appear either below ground (hypogeous) or above ground ...

of low quality.

Habitat

''Suillus viscidus'' forms an

ectomycorrhizal An ectomycorrhiza (from Greek ἐκτός ', "outside", μύκης ', "fungus", and ῥίζα ', "root"; pl. ectomycorrhizas or ectomycorrhizae, abbreviated EcM) is a form of symbiotic relationship that occurs between a fungal symbiont, or mycobi ...

association with

(''Larix'') specifically, and its distribution is thus limited by the range of the host tree. It occurs throughout Europe, and also in Japan. In Europe, it is considered an uncommon to rare fungus and it is to be found in the same habitat as the common larch bolete, ''

Suillus grevillei ''Suillus grevillei'' ( commonly known as Greville's bolete and larch bolete) is a mycorrhizal mushroom with a tight, brilliantly coloured cap, shiny and wet looking with its mucous slime layer. The hymenium easily separates from the flesh of t ...

'', and also the rare '' Suillus tridentinus''. Fruiting bodies are found in groups among grass under larch, from summer to autumn.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1543795 viscidus Fungi of Asia Fungi of Europe Edible fungi