Unfortunately this oak loving mushroom is not common in my area. Shows here and there, almost never in big flashes. Big specimens are usually buggy.
Name
It seems to be a lot of confusion about the naming of the species. Apparently there was some mix up even a century ago. The newest DNA classifications show that it actually does not belong in Boletus, so very recently it was reclassified to Baorangia bicolor. In older field guides it will be called Boletus bicolor.
Characteristics
- medium size cap, mainly reddish color, frequently fading to yellow at the margin
- stalk is mainly reddish with yellow showing through
- pore surface is bright yellow and stains blue; pores are small; tubes are shallow
- flash is yellow and sometimes stains bluish, but very slowly and then fades
- taste is mild and there are reports of the curry smell (not in my experience)
They grow under hardwoods, especially oaks, scattered and sometimes in great numbers. it is worth mentioning that bugs readily attack stalks, but tend to leave cap alone. Frequently discarding the stalk and cutting hole in the cap will give good, usable mushroom.
Edibility
This is a great edible. Dries very well. Preserves colors even in cooking. Some sources compare quality of this mushroom with King bolete. There is a similar mushroom, Boletus sensibilis which is poisonous. Of course, in my book it is only “sickener” (see my thoughts on subject in Poisonous Mushrooms), but the similarity causes many cautions and warnings concerning consuming Two-colored Bolete. The fact that Boletus sensibilis stains dramatically (hence the name sensibilis – sensitive) on all parts and has predominantly yellow stalk should be enough to distinguish between the two species. Anyway, in my experience Boletus sensibilis is rare find in this part of Ontario.