Comments by Dick B. 5/8/13
If it's in the
B. edulis group it should have some reticulations (netting pattern) on the stipe,
at least near the top.
There are a couple of Suillus that sometimes occur in the spring but this doesn't
look like one of them. There are three Boletus that I have found in the spring:
B. rubipes B. regius, and B. rex-veris (pinophilus, pinnicola).
a) B. rubipes stains blue and is usually quite bitter,
b) B. regius sometimes stains blue and has a dark red cap,
c) B. rex-veris has white pores when young,
reticulations on the stipe and a variably reddish cap
(sometimes you have to scrub the cap with a wet cloth to see the red color).
If it's not bitter and doesn't have red pores then you should be able to eat it.--Dick
From Wikipedia:
Boletus rubripes, commonly known as the red-stipe bolete or the red-stemmed bitter bolete,
is a mushroom in the family Boletaceae.
Fruit bodies (mushrooms) are robust, with caps up to 18 cm (7.1 in) in diameter,
atop thick stems 5–12 cm (2.0–4.7 in) long.
Mushrooms are non-toxic, but is so bitter as to be inedible.
The mushroom flesh has a very strong bluing reaction
when cut or damaged. and forms mycorrhizal relationships, primarily with conifers.
It can be differentiated from similar boletes by its cap color and non-reticulate stipe.
Boletus regius, commonly known as the royal bolete or red-capped butter bolete
Species in this section are characterized by having a dry cap with a
surface texture ranging from smooth to somewhat tomentose,
yellow flesh, a reticulate stem, and a mild taste.
mykoweb.com says
Edible and excellent.
Boletus regius is a beautiful, robust bolete with an aspect similar to
Boletus edulis. A notable difference, however, is that Boletus regius has a
rose-pink cap while Boletus edulis has a brownish cap.
Additionally, the pore surface and stipe reticulation of Boletus regius are yellowish,
compared to pallid in Boletus edulis. A final distinction is the tendency for the pores of
Boletus regius to blue, a feature absent in Boletus edulis.
Wikipedia says
Boletus rex-veris, commonly known as the spring king bolete,
The Boletus rex-veris is edible and delicious. It has significant commercial value in areas that it fruits prolifically.
The large, edible fruiting bodies known as mushrooms appear under pine trees,
generally in May to June. It has a pinkish to brownish cap and its stem is often large
and swollen, and the overall colour may have an orange-red tinge. As with other boletes,
the size of the fruiting body is variable.
Boletus rex-veris is edible, and may be preserved and cooked.