Suillus pungens  Thiers & Smith (1964)

This species is abundant in the San Francisco Bay Area under Monterey Pine (Pinus radiata). It does occur with a variety of other Pines, but not very frequently. Suillus pungens has an unusually broad variability in pileus color -- starting out white, changing to dark gray to olive or blackish and then to orange, or any of these in between, frequently variegated. The milk of this species has caused the author very intense contact dermatitis.

Similarly to Suillus fuscotomentosus, in the Bay Area, there seems to be an interesting relationship with Chroogomphus vinicolor -- the two species fruit together at the same time and frequently in joint clusters.