Parasitic bolete

Pseudoboletus parasiticus is unlikely to be confused with any other species, because it occurs only with the common earthball, Scleroderma citrinum. Young caps are hemispherical and downy, becoming smooth and expanding as the fruiting bodies mature. When fully expanded, the caps of Pseudoboletus parasiticus range from 2 to 6 cm in diameter. The cap surface is greasy in wet weather but often becomes cracked in dry weather, revealing the thick pallid flesh beneath the cuticle. Large tubes terminate in angular olive pores that are at first yellow but darken through olive to olive-brown as the fruiting body matures. When cut or bruised, neither the tubes nor the pores change colour appreciably, and there is no hint of bluing. Because it emerges from beneath a common earthball, the stem of the parasitic bolete is invariably curved. Olive or sienna, the stem tapers in towards the base, its pale lemon flesh does not change colour upon exposure to air. Between 1 to 2 cm in diameter at the mid point, the stem is typically 3 to 6 cm long and has no stem ring.