Tylopilus alboater
Encyclopedia
Tylopilus alboater, commonly known as the black velvet bolete, is a bolete
fungus in the Boletaceae
family. The species is found in North America east of the Rocky Mountains
, and in eastern Asia, including China, Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand. A mycorrhiza
l species, it grows solitarily, scattered, or in groups on the ground usually under deciduous trees, particularly oak, although it has been recorded from deciduous, coniferous, and mixed forests.
The fruit bodies
have a black to grayish-brown cap
that measures up to 15 cm (5.9 in) in diameter. The caps of young specimens have a velvety texture and are covered with a whitish to gray powdery coating; this texture and coating is gradually lost as the mushroom matures, and the cap often develops cracks. The pores on the underside of the cap are small and pinkish. The stem
is bluish-purple to black, and measures up to 10 cm (3.9 in) long by 4 cm (1.6 in) thick. Both the pore surface and the whitish cap flesh
will stain pink to reddish-gray, and eventually turn black after being cut or injured. The mushroom is edible
, and generally considered one of the best edible Tylopilus species.
in 1822 as Boletus alboater by Lewis David de Schweinitz from specimens he collected in North Carolina
. Elias Magnus Fries
sanctioned
this name in his 1821 Systema Mycologicum. The species was one of several Boletus species that Otto Kuntze
transferred to Suillus
in his 1898 Revisio Generum Plantarum
. American mycologist William Alphonso Murrill transferred it to the genus Tylopilus
in 1909. In 1931, French mycologist Jean-Edouard Gilbert transferred the species to his newly created genus Porphyrellus, but this name has since been subsumed into Tylopilus.
In 1875, Charles Horton Peck
described Boletus nigrellus from specimens he collected in Sand Lake, New York
. Murrill reduced this name to synonymy with T. alboater in 1916, and noted that Peck's description was made from young material obtained "before the white tubes had been colored by mature spores". Several later authorities have treated Peck's species as a synonym of Tylopilus alboater; this synonymy, however, is not indicated by either of the taxonomic
authorities Index Fungorum
or MycoBank
.
The specific epithet alboater means "white and black". It is commonly
known as the "black velvet bolete"; Murrill called it the "blackish bolete".
is initially convex before later becoming broadly convex to eventually flattened in maturity; the diameter of the cap is typically between 3 and 15 cm (1.2 and 5.9 in). The cap surface is dry, with a velvet-like texture, although in age it can become rimose (developing a network of cracks and small crevices). The cap color is initially black to dark grayish-brown; young specimens can have a whitish bloom (resembling a dusting of fine powder) on the surface. Fruit bodies, especially young specimens, tend to be free of maggot
s and other insect larvae. As the mushroom matures, the bloom disappears and the color fades to become grayish to grayish-brown. The cap flesh
is whitish, but after it is cut or injured, it will stain pink to reddish-gray, and eventually turn black.
Spore
s are produced in basidia that are arranged in a vertically arranged layer of minute tubes on the underside of the cap that create a surface of pores. This surface is whitish when young before turning dull pink or flesh-colored in maturity. When bruised, the pore surface initially stains reddish and slowly turns black. The shape of the pores is angular to irregular, and they are small, with roughly two pores per millimeter. The tubes are 5 – deep, and usually sunken around the area of attachment to the stem
. The stem is 4 – long by 2 – thick, and is equal in width throughout its length, slightly thicker towards the base, or somewhat thicker in the middle. It is the same color as the cap, or paler. The surface texture of the stem is usually smooth, although some specimens may be slightly reticulated near the top. The spore print
can range from pinkish to a deep flesh color.
The spores are oval to ellipsoid in shape, smooth, hyaline
(translucent), and measure 7–11 by 3.5–5 μm
. The basidia are club-shaped, four-spored, and measure 15–24 by 6–7.5 μm. Pleurocystidia (cystidia found on the tube faces) are irregularly club-shaped, with dimensions of 20–36 by 7–10 μm, while cheilocystidia (found on the tube edge) are club-shaped, rare, occur singly, and measure 18–32 by 7–9 μm. Although rare, there are also caulocystidia (occurring on the stem) that are arranged in groups, and which measure individually 24–30 by 6–9 μm. Clamp connection
s are absent from the hypha
e of T. alboater.
Tylopilus alboater is an edible mushroom
with a pleasant odor and a mild taste. It is considered one of the best of the edible Tylopilus—a genus that is usually associated with bitter-tasting, unpalatable species. Frying slices of the mushroom brings out a "delicate, earthy, nutty flavor"; longer frying times make the cap "pleasantly crisp". The mushrooms can be used in mushroom dying
.
, T. atratus, and T. griseocarneus. T. atratus produces smaller fruit bodies with caps up to 9 cm (3.5 in) in diameter, and its whitish flesh directly stains black without any intermediate reddish phase when injured. It is known from only from western New York state. The "false black velvet bolete", T. atronicotianus, has a brownish cap that lacks the velvety texture of T. alboater, and has stems that are minutely velvety and almost black near the base. T. griseocarneus, found in the Atlantic
and Gulf Coastal Plain
s of North America, is readily distinguished from T. alboater by the strong orange to red discoloration that results when cutting or damaging the flesh of a fresh specimen. Furthermore, T. griseocarneus lacks the whitish bloom present on young caps of T. alboater, and typically has a more prominently reticulated stem. Specimens of T. alboater that are paler than usual can be confused with T. ferrugineus, but the latter has yellow cystidia when mounted in KOH, while the cystidia of the former are brownish-yellow under similar conditions.
l species, and its fruit bodies grow on the ground solitarily, scattered, or in groups under deciduous trees, particularly oak
. Fruiting occurs in deciduous, coniferous, and mixed forests. Its dark color makes it difficult to notice in the field.
In North America, the mushroom is widely distributed east of the Rocky Mountains
. The distribution ranges from Quebec
in Canada, south to the New England
states down to Florida
, extending west to Missouri
, Michigan
, and Texas
. It is also found in Mexico. In Asia, it has been recorded from China (Anhui
, Fujian
, Guangdong
, Guangxi
, and Sichuan
), Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand.
Bolete
A bolete is a type of fungal fruiting body characterized by the presence of a pileus that is clearly differentiated from the stipe, with a spongy surface of pores on the underside of the pileus...
fungus in the Boletaceae
Boletaceae
Boletaceae are a family of mushrooms, primarily characterized by developing their spores in small pores on the underside of the mushroom, instead of gills, as are found in agarics. Nearly as widely distributed as agarics, they include the Cep or King Bolete , much sought after by mushroom hunters...
family. The species is found in North America east of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
, and in eastern Asia, including China, Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand. A mycorrhiza
Mycorrhiza
A mycorrhiza is a symbiotic association between a fungus and the roots of a vascular plant....
l species, it grows solitarily, scattered, or in groups on the ground usually under deciduous trees, particularly oak, although it has been recorded from deciduous, coniferous, and mixed forests.
The fruit bodies
Basidiocarp
In fungi, a basidiocarp, basidiome or basidioma , is the sporocarp of a basidiomycete, the multicellular structure on which the spore-producing hymenium is borne. Basidiocarps are characteristic of the hymenomycetes; rusts and smuts do not produce such structures...
have a black to grayish-brown cap
Pileus (mycology)
The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...
that measures up to 15 cm (5.9 in) in diameter. The caps of young specimens have a velvety texture and are covered with a whitish to gray powdery coating; this texture and coating is gradually lost as the mushroom matures, and the cap often develops cracks. The pores on the underside of the cap are small and pinkish. The stem
Stipe (mycology)
thumb|150px|right|Diagram of a [[basidiomycete]] stipe with an [[annulus |annulus]] and [[volva |volva]]In mycology a stipe refers to the stem or stalk-like feature supporting the cap of a mushroom. Like all tissues of the mushroom other than the hymenium, the stipe is composed of sterile hyphal...
is bluish-purple to black, and measures up to 10 cm (3.9 in) long by 4 cm (1.6 in) thick. Both the pore surface and the whitish cap flesh
Trama (mycology)
In mycology trama is a term for the inner, fleshy portion of a mushroom's basidiocarp, or fruit body. It is distinct from the outer layer of tissue, known as the pileipellis or cuticle, and from the spore-bearing tissue layer known as the hymenium....
will stain pink to reddish-gray, and eventually turn black after being cut or injured. The mushroom is edible
Edible mushroom
Edible mushrooms are the fleshy and edible fruiting bodies of several species of fungi. Mushrooms belong to the macrofungi, because their fruiting structures are large enough to be seen with the naked eye. They can appear either below ground or above ground where they may be picked by hand...
, and generally considered one of the best edible Tylopilus species.
Taxonomy and naming
The species was first describedSpecies description
A species description or type description is a formal description of a newly discovered species, usually in the form of a scientific paper. Its purpose is to give a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differs from species which have been described previously, or are...
in 1822 as Boletus alboater by Lewis David de Schweinitz from specimens he collected in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. Elias Magnus Fries
Elias Magnus Fries
-External links:*, Authors of fungal names, Mushroom, the Journal of Wild Mushrooming.*...
sanctioned
Sanctioned name
In mycology, a sanctioned name is a name that was adopted in certain works of Christiaan Hendrik Persoon or Elias Magnus Fries, which are considered major points in fungal taxonomy.-Definition and effects:...
this name in his 1821 Systema Mycologicum. The species was one of several Boletus species that Otto Kuntze
Otto Kuntze
Otto Carl Ernst Kuntze was a German botanist.-Biography:Otto Kuntze was born in Leipzig.An apothecary in his early career, he published an essay entitled Pocket Fauna of Leipzig. Between 1863 and...
transferred to Suillus
Suillus
Suillus is a genus of basidiomycete fungi in the family Suillaceae and order Boletales. Species in the genus are associated with coniferous trees, and are mostly distributed in northern temperate locations, although some species have been introduced to the Southern Hemisphere.-Taxonomy:The genus...
in his 1898 Revisio Generum Plantarum
Revisio Generum Plantarum
Revisio Generum Plantarum, also known by its standard botanical abbreviation Revis. Gen. Pl., is a botanic treatise by Otto Kuntze...
. American mycologist William Alphonso Murrill transferred it to the genus Tylopilus
Tylopilus
Tylopilus is a large genus of around 75 species of mycorrhizal bolete fungi separated from Boletus. Its best known member is the bitter bolete , the only species found in Europe. More species are found in North America, such as the edible species Tylopilus chromapes and T. alboater, and the...
in 1909. In 1931, French mycologist Jean-Edouard Gilbert transferred the species to his newly created genus Porphyrellus, but this name has since been subsumed into Tylopilus.
In 1875, Charles Horton Peck
Charles Horton Peck
Charles Horton Peck, born March 30, 1833 in Sand Lake, New York, died 1917 in Albany, New York, was an American mycologist of the 19th and early 20th centuries...
described Boletus nigrellus from specimens he collected in Sand Lake, New York
Sand Lake, New York
Sand Lake is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town had a population of 7,987. The Capital District Regional Planning Commission indicates it to be 8,336 as of September 2010. The town is in the south-central part of the county...
. Murrill reduced this name to synonymy with T. alboater in 1916, and noted that Peck's description was made from young material obtained "before the white tubes had been colored by mature spores". Several later authorities have treated Peck's species as a synonym of Tylopilus alboater; this synonymy, however, is not indicated by either of the taxonomic
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
authorities Index Fungorum
Index Fungorum
Index Fungorum, an international project to index all formal names in the Fungi Kingdom. Somewhat comparable to the IPNI, but with more contributing institutions....
or MycoBank
MycoBank
MycoBank is an online database, documenting new mycological names and combinations, eventually combined with descriptions and illustrations. It is run by the Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures fungal biodiversity center in Utrecht....
.
The specific epithet alboater means "white and black". It is commonly
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
known as the "black velvet bolete"; Murrill called it the "blackish bolete".
Description
The shape of the capPileus (mycology)
The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...
is initially convex before later becoming broadly convex to eventually flattened in maturity; the diameter of the cap is typically between 3 and 15 cm (1.2 and 5.9 in). The cap surface is dry, with a velvet-like texture, although in age it can become rimose (developing a network of cracks and small crevices). The cap color is initially black to dark grayish-brown; young specimens can have a whitish bloom (resembling a dusting of fine powder) on the surface. Fruit bodies, especially young specimens, tend to be free of maggot
Maggot
In everyday speech the word maggot means the larva of a fly ; it is applied in particular to the larvae of Brachyceran flies, such as houseflies, cheese flies, and blowflies, rather than larvae of the Nematocera, such as mosquitoes and Crane flies...
s and other insect larvae. As the mushroom matures, the bloom disappears and the color fades to become grayish to grayish-brown. The cap flesh
Trama (mycology)
In mycology trama is a term for the inner, fleshy portion of a mushroom's basidiocarp, or fruit body. It is distinct from the outer layer of tissue, known as the pileipellis or cuticle, and from the spore-bearing tissue layer known as the hymenium....
is whitish, but after it is cut or injured, it will stain pink to reddish-gray, and eventually turn black.
Spore
Spore
In biology, a spore is a reproductive structure that is adapted for dispersal and surviving for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many bacteria, plants, algae, fungi and some protozoa. According to scientist Dr...
s are produced in basidia that are arranged in a vertically arranged layer of minute tubes on the underside of the cap that create a surface of pores. This surface is whitish when young before turning dull pink or flesh-colored in maturity. When bruised, the pore surface initially stains reddish and slowly turns black. The shape of the pores is angular to irregular, and they are small, with roughly two pores per millimeter. The tubes are 5 – deep, and usually sunken around the area of attachment to the stem
Stipe (mycology)
thumb|150px|right|Diagram of a [[basidiomycete]] stipe with an [[annulus |annulus]] and [[volva |volva]]In mycology a stipe refers to the stem or stalk-like feature supporting the cap of a mushroom. Like all tissues of the mushroom other than the hymenium, the stipe is composed of sterile hyphal...
. The stem is 4 – long by 2 – thick, and is equal in width throughout its length, slightly thicker towards the base, or somewhat thicker in the middle. It is the same color as the cap, or paler. The surface texture of the stem is usually smooth, although some specimens may be slightly reticulated near the top. The spore print
Spore print
thumb|300px|right|Making a spore print of the mushroom Volvariella volvacea shown in composite: mushroom cap laid on white and dark paper; cap removed after 24 hours showing pinkish-tan spore print...
can range from pinkish to a deep flesh color.
The spores are oval to ellipsoid in shape, smooth, hyaline
Hyaline
The term hyaline denotes a substance with a glass-like appearance.-Histopathology:In histopathological medical usage, a hyaline substance appears glassy and pink after being stained with haematoxylin and eosin — usually it is an acellular, proteinaceous material...
(translucent), and measure 7–11 by 3.5–5 μm
Micrometre
A micrometer , is by definition 1×10-6 of a meter .In plain English, it means one-millionth of a meter . Its unit symbol in the International System of Units is μm...
. The basidia are club-shaped, four-spored, and measure 15–24 by 6–7.5 μm. Pleurocystidia (cystidia found on the tube faces) are irregularly club-shaped, with dimensions of 20–36 by 7–10 μm, while cheilocystidia (found on the tube edge) are club-shaped, rare, occur singly, and measure 18–32 by 7–9 μm. Although rare, there are also caulocystidia (occurring on the stem) that are arranged in groups, and which measure individually 24–30 by 6–9 μm. Clamp connection
Clamp connection
A clamp connection is a structure formed by growing hyphal cells of certain fungi. It is created to ensure each septum, or segment of hypha separated by crossed walls, receives a set of differing nuclei, which are obtained through mating of hyphae of differing sexual types...
s are absent from the hypha
Hypha
A hypha is a long, branching filamentous structure of a fungus, and also of unrelated Actinobacteria. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium; yeasts are unicellular fungi that do not grow as hyphae.-Structure:A hypha consists of one or...
e of T. alboater.
Tylopilus alboater is an edible mushroom
Edible mushroom
Edible mushrooms are the fleshy and edible fruiting bodies of several species of fungi. Mushrooms belong to the macrofungi, because their fruiting structures are large enough to be seen with the naked eye. They can appear either below ground or above ground where they may be picked by hand...
with a pleasant odor and a mild taste. It is considered one of the best of the edible Tylopilus—a genus that is usually associated with bitter-tasting, unpalatable species. Frying slices of the mushroom brings out a "delicate, earthy, nutty flavor"; longer frying times make the cap "pleasantly crisp". The mushrooms can be used in mushroom dying
Mushroom dye
Mushrooms can be used to create color dyes.The shingled hedgehog mushroom and related species contain blue-green pigments, which are used for dyeing wool in Norway. The fruiting body of hydnellum peckii can be used to produce a beige colour when no mordant is used, and shades of blue or green...
.
Similar species
Some Tylopilus species have a superficial resemblance to T. alboater and might be confused with it, including T. atronicotianusTylopilus atronicotianus
Tylopilus atronicotianus, commonly known as the false black velvet bolete, is a bolete fungus in the Boletaceae family. First described scientifically in 1998, it is known only from the southeastern United States.-Taxonomy:...
, T. atratus, and T. griseocarneus. T. atratus produces smaller fruit bodies with caps up to 9 cm (3.5 in) in diameter, and its whitish flesh directly stains black without any intermediate reddish phase when injured. It is known from only from western New York state. The "false black velvet bolete", T. atronicotianus, has a brownish cap that lacks the velvety texture of T. alboater, and has stems that are minutely velvety and almost black near the base. T. griseocarneus, found in the Atlantic
Atlantic Coastal Plain
The Atlantic coastal plain has both low elevation and low relief, but it is also a relatively flat landform extending from the New York Bight southward to a Georgia/Florida section of the Eastern Continental Divide, which demarcates the plain from the ACF River Basin in the Gulf Coastal Plain to...
and Gulf Coastal Plain
Gulf Coastal Plain
The Gulf Coastal Plain extends around the Gulf of Mexico in the Southern United States and eastern Mexico.The plain reaches from the western Florida Panhandle, the southwestern two thirds of Alabama, over most of Mississippi, some of western Tennessee and Kentucky, southwest Arkansas, the Florida...
s of North America, is readily distinguished from T. alboater by the strong orange to red discoloration that results when cutting or damaging the flesh of a fresh specimen. Furthermore, T. griseocarneus lacks the whitish bloom present on young caps of T. alboater, and typically has a more prominently reticulated stem. Specimens of T. alboater that are paler than usual can be confused with T. ferrugineus, but the latter has yellow cystidia when mounted in KOH, while the cystidia of the former are brownish-yellow under similar conditions.
Distribution and habitat
Tylopilus alboater is a mycorrhizaMycorrhiza
A mycorrhiza is a symbiotic association between a fungus and the roots of a vascular plant....
l species, and its fruit bodies grow on the ground solitarily, scattered, or in groups under deciduous trees, particularly oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
. Fruiting occurs in deciduous, coniferous, and mixed forests. Its dark color makes it difficult to notice in the field.
In North America, the mushroom is widely distributed east of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
. The distribution ranges from Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
in Canada, south to the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
states down to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, extending west to Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. It is also found in Mexico. In Asia, it has been recorded from China (Anhui
Anhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
, Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
, Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
, Guangxi
Guangxi
Guangxi, formerly romanized Kwangsi, is a province of southern China along its border with Vietnam. In 1958, it became the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, a region with special privileges created specifically for the Zhuang people.Guangxi's location, in...
, and Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
), Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand.
External links
- Wax mushroom model at the New York State MuseumNew York State MuseumThe New York State Museum is a research-backed institution in Albany, New York, United States. It is located on Madison Avenue, attached to the south side of the Empire State Plaza, facing onto the plaza and towards the New York State Capitol...