Grim mullein in the Botanical Garden of the Polish Academy of Sciences - an unusual visitor from underground! 

The Botanical Garden is home to many species of mushrooms, especially as the mushrooming season begins.  

While walking along one of the side trails of the Botanical Garden, we came across a spectacular specimen of thegloomy prairie(Suillellus luridus). This mushroom, although inconspicuous by name, turned out to be an impressive giant - its hat exceeded 20 cm in diameter and was in excellent condition. 

Grim mullet is a species of fungus in the boletus family, formerly included in the genusBoletus, currently classified asSuillellus luridus(Schaeff.) Murrill. It is mainly found in deciduous and mixed forests, on calcareous soils, in mycorrhizae with such trees as oaks, beeches, birches and sometimes chestnut trees. In Poland it is quite common, but meeting it in urban conditions - in the garden - is rare. 

Characteristics of the species: 

  • Hat: 5 to as much as 20 cm in diameter, yellow-brown, olive or orange-brown in color, darkening with age; bluish when damaged. 
  • Hymenophor: tubular, pores first yellow, later orange to red-orange, quickly turning blue under pressure. 
  • Core: 5-15 cm in height, with a distinctive, distinct reticulation in dark red tones, intense red at the base, yellow at the top. 
  • Flesh: yellow, turns blue instantly when cut; taste mild, smell faint.  

Mycological curiosity: in 2021, the Polish Mycological Society recommended the use of the Polish name "modroborovik grim" in place of the earlier ones - "boletus grimus" or "boletus siniak". 

The mushroom is considered conditionally edible - it requires prolonged heat treatment, as it contains toxic substances when raw. Due to possible confusion with poisonous species, it is not recommended for amateur harvesting. 

We encourage you to take careful walks in the garden - it is off the main paths that you can encounter such interesting and little-known species.Their observation is not only an aesthetic pleasure, but also an opportunity to learn about complex relationships in nature - such as mycorrhiza between fungus and tree. 

Source:Wikipedia - Grim mullet