Frost's bolete

What it is

Exsudoporus frostii was first described in 1874 as Boletus frostii. It is also known as Frost's bolete or the apple bolete. Its cap is a candy-apple red, sometimes duller, sticky when wet, with pores that bruise blue when touched. The stem has coarse, raised netting. The sources read give these features, and they note that the genus spelling in the catalogue is Exudoporus, while the current spelling used by Wikipedia is Exsudoporus.

It grows near hardwood trees, especially oaks, and the range given runs from Maine to Georgia and from Arizona south into Mexico and Costa Rica.

Names and food use

In Mexico the species is called panza agria, meaning sour belly, a name tied to its sour, lemony taste. The catalogue records food use in Amealco, Querétaro, but the sources read do not document specific harvesting or sale of this species in Mexico, so that record stands on the catalogue entry alone.

Opinions on the taste differ. One guide rates it good and arguably choice, with an unusual, almost sour flavour. Others find it unremarkable. Wikipedia-derived material says it is considered edible when thoroughly cooked and is generally not recommended, because it is easily confused with poisonous red-pored boletes that also bruise blue.

Safety

Red-pored boletes include poisonous species, and identification is the central risk. Wild boletes must be identified from the whole specimen by a specialist. This page does not establish that Frost's bolete is safe to eat, and cooking is not a substitute for correct identification. The sources read give no safe quantity or preparation.