PNW Boletes

I just finished the first version of a PNW Boletes illustration. These are organized into general groups by Genus which should help to simplify things. Beginners intersted in edible boletes should focus on the Boletus genus first since these are more common, tasty, and easier to identify. Aureoboletus mirabilis known commonly as the Admirable Bolete is another common, easy to identify edible species.

Suillus, the slippery jacks, and Leccinum both have edible and inedible species.

In general, boletes are a fairly safe group to forage and eat due to the relative ease of identification, and the small number of seriously toxic species. The only bolete mushroom believed to have caused a fatality in Washington was a red-pored bolete known as Rubroboletus. This one is easy to avoid by not eating red-pored boletes.

For the full written guide to these genera — what to eat, what to avoid, when each group fruits, and a king bolete look-alike comparison — see Boletes of the Pacific Northwest. To key out a specific find, use the Bolete Finder.