Boletus subviolaceofuscus

Overview

Boletus subviolaceofuscus is a porcini in the section Boletus. Its name refers to its resemblance to Boletus violaceofuscus, a separate species, and the original description treats the two as distinct. The names should not be used as if they were interchangeable.

The original account describes a dark purple to vinaceous brown cap and solitary or clustered fruiting in Lithocarpus forest. The species was characterized from both visible and microscopic features. Because it resembles other boletes, and even its describers note close similarity to B. violaceofuscus, colour and a photograph are not enough to identify a specimen.

Where it grows

The described collections come from Jingdong County on Ailao Mountain in Yunnan, at about 2,480 to 2,500 metres. The vouchers were collected in July and August. These are dates from one mountain area, not a range map for the whole of China or a general season.

Food listings

A Yunnan list of common wild edible fungi, T/YEFA 002-2023, places the species in its table of directly edible wild mushrooms, with voucher HKAS 50325 and photograph number Li 571. The 2026 Chinese catalogue of edible and medicinal fungi includes it on a scientific edible checklist, and the supplied index records that the checklist has not been independently assessed. Those listings support describing the species as edible in these regional references.

The listings give no recipe, preparation method, raw-eating guidance or cooking time. 'Directly edible' is the list's own category label. It is not permission to eat a specimen identified from a picture, and it does not clear wild material gathered elsewhere. The sources reviewed also do not name a market, household tradition or Yunnan dish for this species, so those details remain open.

Notes for cooks

The species has no documented fermentation role, and its edible listing does not make it a culture or a starter. No evidence reviewed here describes a fermented preparation with it.

Similar boletes need specialist identification. Any wild mushroom should be handled only with qualified local expertise and applicable food-safety guidance. No specimen can be cleared by its name or colour description on this page.