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Chestnut Bolete

 





The Chestnut Bolete (Gyroporus castaneus) is a lovely mushroom. I found this one growing solitary in the woods. The broadly convex cap measures 2.8 cm across; it's dry and slightly velvety and is an uneven light brown. The uneven stalk is roughly 5 cm long and 7 mm wide. It too is dry and snaps cleanly. The very light pore surface consists of faint, irregular (though mostly round) pores. The pore tubes measure 3.5 mm long. A distinctive feature of this genus is the hollow stem, which you can see in the second-to-last picture. 

Arora says it's "edible and highly esteemed in Europe." Bessette says it's "edible by most accounts but not particularly good." McFarland and Mueller say "it could be a small Porcini if nobody told you." All can be right since mushrooms and plants often taste different in different regions.