Hortiboletus engelii

Hortiboletus engelii, formerly known as Xerocomus communis, is a bolete found from summer to mid-autumn, primarily under Quercus, Corylus, Tilia, etc.

The pileus measures up to 10 cm in diameter and is variable in color: brown, reddish-brown, or with ochraceous to orange tones.

An unmistakable field feature is the presence of bright carrot-orange to blood-red dots speckling the flesh at the stipe base upon sectioning. It shares this trait with H. rubellus, but the latter differs macroscopically in possessing a more distinctly reddish basidioma.

The microscopic study (spores measured in this instance) is based on a collection made in mid-July in Ruente (Cantabria) at the base of mature pedunculate oaks (Quercus robur). Additional photographs illustrate subsequent collections from Amurrio (Álava) in late July and September along a gravel road verge in mixed calcareous woodland under Quercus faginea, Fraxinus excelsior, and Corylus avellana.