FungiFindFungiFind
Search species

    FungiFind › Mushroom species

    Bitter beech bolete

    Caloboletus calopus (Pers.) Vizzini · Boletaceae

    Also: Bitter bolete, Scarlet-stemmed bolete

    ☠ Poisonous

    Where is it growing now? Open the map Mushroom alert for this species How the mushroom alert works

    Identification in 5 steps

    Bitter beech bolete
    Photo: H. Krisp · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

    The bitter beech bolete has a grey-white to light brown cap, yellow pores and a stem with a red net. It tastes intensely bitter and is considered mildly poisonous.

    SeasonJuly to December
    Spore printolive-brown
    FamilyBoletaceae
    1. Cap. The cap is 5 to 15 cm wide, grey-white to light olive brown, dry and finely felty.
    2. Underside. The tubes and pores are yellow and turn blue when pressed.
    3. Stem, ring and volva. The stem is yellow at the top and carmine red below, with a distinct whitish to red net. There is no ring or volva.
    4. Smell and taste. It tastes intensely bitter; spit out a tiny sample immediately.
    5. Flesh and colour change. The flesh is whitish to pale yellow and turns blue.

    Lookalikes

    Very bitter and mildly poisonous; causes gastrointestinal upset.

    Habitat & Season

    Acidic soils. Mainly montane zones.

    Host trees

    Spruce, fir, also common beech and oak.

    Season

    possible good main season

    Mushroom regions with a daily forecast

    There are no records per region for this species yet. The country pages lead to all regions with a daily forecast.

    All mushroom regions →

    Safety

    Never eat a mushroom you have not identified with certainty. Poisonous mushroom: do not eat it. If you suspect you ate it, call the poison emergency line immediately.

    Advice for your country

    United Kingdom

    Poison centre:

    NHS 111 (England)111

    Emergency: 999 · 112

    Ireland

    Poison centre:

    National Poisons Information Centre (public line)(01) 809 2166

    Emergency: 112 · 999

    Germany

    Poison centre:

    Giftnotruf Berlin030 19240Giftinformationszentrum München089 19240GIZ-Nord Göttingen0551 19240

    Emergency: 112

    Mushroom advice: DGfM: find a mushroom expert. Certified mushroom experts of the German Mycological Society (DGfM).

    Collecting rules: Mushrooms that are not specially protected may be collected in small quantities for personal use unless a protected area or ban applies. Certain specially protected edible species (e.g. cep, chanterelle, birch bolete) may be collected in small quantities for personal use.

    Austria

    Poison centre:

    Vergiftungsinformationszentrale (VIZ)01 406 43 43

    Emergency: 112 · 144

    Mushroom advice: Austrian Mycological Society (ÖMG): mushroom advice. Mushroom advice by the Austrian Mycological Society or regional services such as municipal market offices.

    Collecting rules: At most 2 kg of mushrooms per person per day unless the forest owner has prohibited collecting; organised collecting events are prohibited. Additional state rules apply (collecting hours, closed seasons), e.g. Carinthia, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Salzburg.

    Conservation and collecting rules

    Not specially protected.

    Upper Austria: fully protected (ÖMG overview).

    Red List Germany: Least concern

    Poisoning

    ToxinBitter compounds; the toxin is not precisely known.
    SyndromeGastrointestinal syndrome.
    SymptomsNausea, vomiting, diarrhoea.
    OnsetA few hours.
    What to do now: Call the poison centre immediately (NHS 111, England) and, in case of severe symptoms, the emergency number 999 / 112. Do not induce vomiting and do not give milk or salt water. Keep mushroom remains, trimmings and vomit for identification, and tell everyone who ate with you, as they should also be examined.

    Frequently asked questions

    Bitter beech bolete: Is it edible?

    No, it is poisonous. Very bitter and mildly poisonous; causes gastrointestinal upset. If you suspect poisoning, call the poison centre immediately (numbers for your country below).

    Bitter beech bolete: When and where does it grow?

    In Central Europe the season runs from July to December. Partner and habitat: spruce, fir, also common beech and oak. Soil: acidic soils. Altitude: mainly montane zones.

    Bitter beech bolete: What are its lookalikes?

    The most important one to rule out is the rooting bolete (Caloboletus radicans, inedible): its stem is hardly red, and it grows on limestone under broadleaved trees. Other lookalikes: lurid bolete, cep.

    Related species

    Open the mushroom map Mushroom trainer: test yourself

    Sources

    Photo credits

    No substitute for having your finds checked in person. No guarantee of accuracy. Updated: 17.10.2026.

    Open the mushroom map