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Boletes

It is the cap's under surface which defines a bolete. ("sponge fungus"). Instead of gills (Agarics) the spores of Boletes come out of tubes or pores.

I have no idea which species this is. I hope it is Boletus edulis, which fits the cap and pore features, but the stalk is not thick and it has spots rather than reticulation, so I am not going to eat it! The experts keep changing definitions and may need DNA to finally clear it all up, since some of the variations may just be races of the same basic mushroom.

This bolete comes up in a group every year, under Pinus radiata (The needles come from those trees).

Perhaps they are mycorhizal fungi for P radiata, which likes Suillus boletes, for example? It is interesting that pine nurseries need to have the correct fungi in the soil for good growth of pine seedlings and sterilising the soil is a bad move.

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