Boletus bouriqueti

Overview

Boletus bouriqueti is a name from the historical literature on Malagasy fungi. Heim described it in 1936 among three giant boletes from Africa and Madagascar. Bouriquet's 1970 guide to the mushrooms of Madagascar gave it a brown cap that may crack into angular plates and described it as exceptionally large.

The name has not been confirmed against modern taxonomy. The sources give no current preferred combination, no modern redescription and no DNA-linked voucher. Treat it as a historical label, not an established species.

Taxonomy and identity

The genus Boletus is placed in Boletaceae in the MNHN genus record. A 1996 national biodiversity table printed the name under Agaricaceae, which shows how uncertain the literature is. The FAO 2004 overview and the Madagascar literature warn that naming and source errors are common in older records.

Bouriquet's account is the only source describing the fungus. Its large size and cracked cap are historical observations and are not treated as a verified maximum. The name must not be assigned to Phlebopus colossus, Phlebopus sudanicus or any other bolete, even though some of their natural history is documented.

Habitat and season

The only locality given is the Imerina area of the central highlands. The sources record no host trees, collection dates or fruiting season for this species. National rainy-season dates for Madagascar cannot be applied to it, because the locality is in the highlands rather than on the east coast.

Food status

The FAO 2004 global overview lists the species for Madagascar as edible, citing Bouriquet (1970). FAO uses edible for a reported property without confirmed consumption, and reserves food for confirmed use. A 1996 national monograph table gives it a culinary rating of good, with no collection, preparation or consumer detail.

No preparation method, market, cultivation or fermentation use was found in the sources.

Identification and safety

No species-specific toxicology or validated preparation guidance was found. The historical edible listing does not establish that a wild bolete with similar features is safe to eat. Resemblance to other boletes, or to an old description, is not an identification. Do not eat a wild bolete on the strength of this entry.

Images and gaps

No verified photograph of this species was found under this name in iNaturalist, GBIF or Wikimedia Commons. The 1936 plates and the 1970 guide's figures are historical illustrations whose rights and figure-to-species mapping are not confirmed. No image was generated for this page.

Missing: a modern taxonomic treatment, collection records, local names, any food preparation and any safety data.