Boletus barrowsii [Thiers & Smith]

Collection: High Sierra Nevada

Commonly known as the White King Bolete. I suspect that it will require a critical examination in order to understand where these white species fit into the wide gamut of B. edulis variations. There is a very similar taxon from Europe called B. edulis f. albus.  What is called B. barrowsii locally has somewhat of a broad, if not even strange,  range -- it can be found from Late Summer to Early Fall in the high elevations of the Sierra Nevada, as well as in the Coastal areas under Live Oak. Whether it is the same species remains to be seen. Could it be that what we have on the Coast is a  white form of B. aereus? The macrochemical reactions do not support that hypothesis, but who knows.

Collection: Pt. Reyes, under Live Oak Collection: Sierra Nevada