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Bay Bolete

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Bay Bolete

Edible

Autumn

Summer

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Bay Bolete, Imleria badia

The Bay Bolete is a great mushroom and not far from the Penny Bun in gastronomic value. So much so, we could not differentiate between the two in a blind taste test, with only the less firm texture of the Bay Bolete giving it away.

Mushroom Type
Common Names	Bay Bolete (EN), Cap Tyllog Gwinau Cleisiog (CY), Podgrzyb Brunatny (PL), Barna Tinóru (HU)
Scientific Name	Boletus / Imleria badia
Synonyms	Boletus badius
Season Start	Aug
Season End	Nov
Average Mushroom height (CM)	5-8
Average Cap width (CM)	5-8

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Please note that each and every mushroom you come across may vary in appearance to these photos.

Cap

5-8 cm. Often starts spherical opening to convex and flattening with age. A bit velvety when young, smooth and shiny when mature. Dark brown or brown/brick coloured, slightly slimy when wet.

Pores

Pale yellow pores, bruising rapidly to a blue/green.

Stem

5-8 cm long, 1-4 cm diameter. Pale brown looking vertically fibrous over a paler yellow/tan background. Can be quite thick.

Flesh

White/pale yellow. Staining pale blue/green on cutting especially in the cap.

Habitat

Mixed woodland.

Possible Confusion

Can look like other Boletes (see Penny Bun, pictured,) but if you stick to the simple rule of avoiding any Bolete with red on the stem, pores or cap and any Bolete whose flesh turns rapidly blue when cut you will only pick edible Boletes. You will be missing out on some good edibles with that rule but you will be keeping yourself 100% safe.

Spore Print

Green/brown. Subfusiform.

Taste / Smell

Good when fresh with the pores removed, better when dried.

Frequency

Very common and widespread in the UK.

Other Facts

A great find as Bay Boletes don’t often host maggots.
In March 2025 the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) added 1000 fungal species to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The IUCN (Global) Conservation Status of Bay Bolete (Imleria badia) is: LC – Least Concern, with stable population. For more information, see on the following link

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21 responses to “Bay Bolete”

Paul

October 21, 2019

You say avoid any Bolete whose flesh turns rapidly blue when you cut, then for the bay boletus you say flesh – “Staining pale blue/green on cutting”. So how do you tell the difference?

1. Eric Biggane
  
  December 18, 2019
  
  Hi Paul, I’m afraid that with the Bay Bolete you have to go by the stem, cap and habitat as it does break the rule of not eating blue fleshed Boletes. However, the poisonous Boletes have a very rapid colour change, within two to three seconds and stain dark or strong blue, the Bay Bolete takes several seconds to stain pale blue and it doesn’t always stain.
  
  1. Dan
    
    October 17, 2022
    
    The scarlatina does crazy blue on cutting but is very delicious
    
rod clay

October 21, 2019

I need to know if the cap should be /or is slimy/sticky ? The ones I have found were on my golf course in the side of a dry ditch under fir trees it was wet at the time of picking and the cap is very sticky. Is it a feature? Thanks Rod Clay

1. Eric Biggane
  
  December 18, 2019
  
  Hi Rod, this mushroom has a slimy cap when wet but if the conditions are dry it can have a dry, very finely felty when young, cap.
  
Rob the Cook

July 12, 2020

Any favorite recipes you like or anybody else likes??

1. Dang Turnips
  
  October 11, 2020
  
  West Country stroganoff is a great way of cooking bay boletes.
  
Jaki

November 6, 2020

Ive found what look like bay bolets but they don’t bruise are v pungent mushroomy smelling ? Must they bruise blue?

1. Eric Biggane
  
  January 2, 2021
  
  The pores of a Bay Bolete should bruise blue so I can’t say without seeing the mushrooms.
  
Vikki Ray

September 10, 2021

Hi there, I think I have been lucky enough to have Bay bolete growing on my front lawn. The cap is slimy when wet and chestnut brown. My lawn is mossy and there is a large lime tree nearby. I can’t see any reticulation but the stem is light brown and a bit stripy in places. The underside however appears to have got quite dry in the sun and has gone brown. Can see underneath is a yellow colour. They do bruise when squished a bit and when I cut them open there is some oxidisation on the flesh near the pores that then disappears. I will dry them out but want to be 100% sure of these. Is there anything dangerous that I could confuse these with. I only ask because the underside has gone a brown colour rather than a pale yellow, but like I said I think this is because we have had some very hot days. I can send pics if needed.

1. Eric Biggane
  
  November 3, 2021
  
  I would need pictures of the cap, pores and stem to be able to safely ID a mushroom.
  
Steven

September 11, 2022

This was my first real find yesterday as a novice forager, the beautiful dark brown cap helped me identify it immediately. It’s a really beautiful mushroom.

The unique stem colouring confirmed it and the green/blue bruising on the pores when I pressed down reassured me it was a Bay Bolete.

First time I’ve ever eaten a mushroom I’ve foraged! And it was delicious. Not as strong as a porcini, not as good as a chanterelle (in my opinion) but very close!

Roger

October 7, 2022

I’ve just found what really looks like a bay Bolete but the stem is very short and doesn’t have the brown. It’s almost white and has the remainder of a brown skirt? The inside flesh doesn’t turn blur whatsoever and both flesh and spoors are a strong yellow. 🤔

1. Eric Biggane
  
  October 8, 2022
  
  It doesn’t sound like a Bay Bolete but I would need to see photos to try and ID it.
  
Rupert Johnson

October 10, 2022

Just picked what I think is Bay Bolete, I’ve removed the gills (spongey type stuff) and sliced it. The flesh has gone blue. My neighbour said it was edible but with it blueing I’m not sure. Help

1. Eric Biggane
  
  October 10, 2022
  
  The Bay Boletes flesh does stain blue but without seeing the mushroom, I can’t say that’s what it is. We give advice to avoid Boletes that are red on the outside and have blue flesh on exposure to the air for novice foragers as this will keep them 100% safe and hopefully give them the confidence to go further with mushroom foraging. There are a number of tasty Boletes that break these rules but with careful identification, they are a good family to learn.
  
Luke83

December 2, 2022

You may want to change the season end to December as there is still quite few of them in Thetford forest today.

Billy

September 12, 2024

Can the Bay Bolete be eaten raw just like the Penny Bun?

1. Eric Biggane
  
  September 12, 2024
  
  I’ve read differing views on the raw edibility of the Bay Bolete so I can’t recommend eating them raw but I like to be careful where there is controversy. I prefer them dried, rehydrated and then used in cooking.
  
Mary Finneran

October 18, 2024

Hi. I have what I think is a lovely Brown Birch Bolete. All the identifying features are matching one hundred%. However, when I slice across the base of the stipe the outside edges turn instantly bright yellow similar to an Agaricus Xanthodermus. Is this an occasional feature of the Brown Birch Bolete. Thanking you in advance. Mary Finneran.

1. Eric Biggane
  
  October 18, 2024
  
  The only Bolete I know that stains bright chrome yellow in the stipe is the Peppery Bolete. If you have photos you can send them to [email protected]. Please include photos of the flesh, pores, cap and stipe, if you can.