Silver Birch Bolete
(Gyroporus purpurinus?)

Vertical Section This bolete was unusual since a group of them showed up on Christmas day (summer) under a silver birch tree, after heavy rain. Boletes usually grow in autumn. The common Birch Bolete is Leccinum scabrum, which has variable colours (going by internet images) from red-brown like this one, to grey. The pores of L. scabrum are usually white, but this example had yellow pores, (and spores) before it was injured, which fits Gyroporus purpurinus or G castaneus (Not reported in New Zealand...and unusual in USA...so I am not holding my breath.)

3D formats:

| W | X | U |Anaglyph

Under Surface

Instead of gills, Boletaceae have tubes, which present as a series of holes under the cap, rather like a sponge.

This picture is an anaglyph, needing red/cyan goggles to show in 3D. The over-all pale yellow colour is correct. Older specimens are darker, tending to grey and younger are paler.

Bolete under cap showing tubes. Anaglyph 3D format.

Longitudinal section

Notice the thick, white, "meat" and the solid stipe. The cap of this young spedimen has a purple tinge, but older specimens were brown and had white cracks, as seen in the stereoscopic pairs.

The lower surface was injured with a stick and turned grey or even black, but older specimens with old injuries had a blue tinge to the break. I am not sure if old natural injuries are included in the rules, which say blue colours mean poisonous.

The spore print was a faint yellow, like the colour at the top of the stem (stipe), which could well have been a coating of spores.

Vertical Section Under the cap of Gyroporus purpurinus?