Boletus reticulatus
Boletus reticulatus, and commonly referred to as the summer cep is a basidiomycete fungus of the genus Boletus. It occurs in deciduous forests of Europe, where it forms a symbiotic mycorrhizal relationship with species of oak. The fungus produces fruiting bodies in the summer months which are edible and popularly collected. The summer cep was formally described by Jacob Christian Schäffer as Boletus reticulatus in 1774, which took precedence over B. aestivalis as described by Jean-Jacques Paulet in 1793.
Taxonomy
German naturalist Jacob Christian Schäffer described the summer cep as Boletus reticulatus in 1774, in his series on fungi of Bavaria and the Palatinate, Fungorum qui in Bavaria et Palatinatu circa Ratisbonam nascuntur icones. French mycologist Jean-Jacques Paulet described it as Le grand Mousseux in 1793, adding that it was delicious with chicken fricassee and could be found in the Bois de Boulogne in summer. the species name the species name is derived from the Latin aestas "summer". Swedish mycologist Elias Magnus Fries followed Paulet, using Boletus aestivalis in 1838.The two names have been used in literature for many years.
Boletus reticulatus is classified in Boletus section Boletus, alongside close relatives such as B. aereus, B. edulis, and B. pinophilus. A genetic study of the four European species found that B. reticulatus was sister to B. aereus. More extensive testing of worldwide taxa revealed that B. reticulatus was most closely related to two lineages that had been classified as B. edulis from southern China and Korea/northern China respectively. The common ancestor of these three species was related to a lineage consisting of B. aereus and the genetically close B. mamorensis. Molecular analysis suggests that the B. aereus/mamorensis and B. reticulatus/Chinese B. "edulis" lineages diverged around 6 to 7 million years ago.
The British Mycological Society approved the name "summer bolete" for Boletus reticulatus.
Description
The summer cep's fruiting body is a mushroom with a swollen bulbous stem, and large convex cap. The cap is more or less round and usually up to in diameter. It bears a velvety brown, rust to chocolate cuticle which when dry often cracks to reveal the white flesh underneath, giving the appearance of a net.The darker, more uniform shade and the velvety feel of the cap are a key feature distinguishing this species as is the vagueness or total absence of a white edge to the cap margin as seen in Boletus edulis. The tubes and pores of the hymenium are initially white, darkening with age to pale yellow and finally brown. The stipe is central, up to about tall, and has a strongly marked reticulated pattern with a variable white to brown colour.
The flesh is white and thick and remains firm if yellowish as the mushroom ages, and is often attacked by insect larvae. Its odour is pleasant.