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    Bovine bolete

    Suillus bovinus (L.) Roussel · Suillaceae

    Also: Jersey cow mushroom

    ✓ EdibleRisk of confusion: low

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    Identification in 5 steps

    Bovine bolete
    Photo: Achim Lammerts (Syntaxys) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

    The bovine bolete is an ochre-brown pine companion with coarsely chambered tubes the colour of the cap and rubbery flesh. The rosy spike-cap often grows on it.

    SeasonJuly to November
    Spore printolive-brown
    FamilySuillaceae
    1. Cap. The cap is 3 to 10 cm wide, ochre to cow brown with a paler margin, smooth and slimy when wet.
    2. Underside. The tubes are decurrent, coarse and angular, ochre to olive brown, and do not turn blue.
    3. Stem, ring and volva. The stem is short and the colour of the cap, with no ring and no net.
    4. Smell and taste. It smells and tastes mild.
    5. Flesh and colour change. The flesh is yellowish and elastic, and turns pink to violet when cooked.

    Lookalikes

    A moderate edible mushroom; older specimens are tough and often maggoty.

    Habitat & Season

    Nutrient-poor, acidic soils; pine woods, heaths and bogs. From the lowlands to the hills and mountains.

    Host trees

    Pine.

    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.

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    Chance near you

    How good are the chances of finding this species where you are right now? We calculate it from weather, soil moisture, altitude and forest at your location.

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    Safety

    Never eat a mushroom you have not identified with certainty. Eat only mushrooms you have identified with certainty, and always cook them thoroughly.

    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.

    No species-specific rule known.

    Red List Germany: Least concern

    In the kitchen

    Young as a mixing mushroom, or dried as a seasoning. Cook thoroughly.

    Well suited.

    Frequently asked questions

    Bovine bolete: Is it edible?

    Yes, it is regarded as an edible mushroom. Cook thoroughly. A moderate edible mushroom; older specimens are tough and often maggoty.

    Bovine bolete: When and where does it grow?

    In Central Europe the season runs from July to November. Partner and habitat: pine. Soil: nutrient-poor, acidic soils; pine woods, heaths and bogs. Altitude: from the lowlands to the hills and mountains.

    Bovine bolete: What are its lookalikes?

    The most important one to rule out is the peppery bolete (Chalciporus piperatus, edible with restrictions): it has red-brown pores and tastes peppery hot. Other lookalikes: velvet bolete, alder bolete.

    Related species

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    Sources

    Photo credits

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

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