Overview
The Boletales are an order of , containing a large number of species with a diverse array of fruiting body types. The boletes are the best known members of this group, and until recently, the Boletales were thought to only contain boletes. The Boletales are now known to contain distinct groups of agarics, gasteromycetes, and other fruiting body types.
Taxonomy
The order Boletales originally was erected to describe boletes, however, based on micromorphological and molecular phylogenetic characteristics, it ha s recently been established that a large number of non-bolete species belong to this group as well. The order also includes some gilled mushrooms, in the families Gomphidiaceae and Paxillaceae, which often have the same flesh texture as the Boletes, spore-bearing tissue which is also easily separable from the cap, and similar microscopic characteristics of spores and cystidia. Molecular phlyogenetic evidence has moved several other physically dissimilar groups into Boletales, including the Sclerodermataceae (earthballs) and the Rhizopogonaceae (false truffles).
Phylogenetic analyses shows the Sclerodermataceae, Boletinellaceae and Gyroporaceae appear to form a discrete group within the Boletales, and together with the Pisolithaceae, the Astraceae and the Calostomaceae, are grouped under the suborder Sclerodermatineae. Thus the boletes of Gyrodon and Phlebopus are more closely related to earthballs of Scleroderma than to Boletus[1]. Similarly, the bolete genus Suillus is more closely related to the agarics and false truffles of Chroogomphus, Gomphidius, and Rhizopogon than to Boletus.[2]
In some classification systems, a part of the family Boletaceae is separated off to form the family Strobilomycetaceae. [3][4]
Ecology
The Boletales are largely ectomycorrhizal fungi, and hence are found mainly in or near woodlands. Certain species are parasitic rather than ectomycorrhizal. Members of the family Gomphidiaceae are thought to be parasitic upon members of the family Suillaceae; these relationships are often highly species-specific. Other parasitic boletes included Boletus parasiticus which grows on Scleroderma citrinum.[5].
Edibility and Identification
Boletes are usually identified by having a sponge-like surface under the cap, instead of the usual gills. They come in a variety of colors such as Red, White, Brown and Grey. Many of the inedible boletes are either white or red, and these should be avoided during picking.
The genus Boletus contains many members which are edible and tasty, most notably, the Boletus edulis (Porcini) group, including Boletus aereus and Boletus pinophilus, though many others are eaten as well, such as Boletus badius. Boletus edulis and its relatives are of great commercial importance in Europe and North America. Species of Suillus are considered by many to be slimy and insipid, however, in Russia, they are often pickled and even sold commercially this way.
Many boletes, while non-toxic, are nonetheless bitter tasting and inedible.
The Paxillaceae contain a number of species that have been implicated in fatal poisonings. A few boletes are also highly toxic (though generally not deadly), notably the (fortunately fairly conspicuous) Boletus satanas and allies. Still, many mushroom hunters recommend that beginners start with boletes, since deadly mix-ups are far less likely than with agarics.
Photos
Taxonomy
The Order Boletales is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Family (16): Boletaceae · Coniophoraceae · Gomphidiaceae · Gyroporaceae · Hygrophoropsidaceae · Hymenogasteraceae · Leucogastraceae · Melanogastraceae · Octavianiaceae · Octavianinaceae · Paxillaceae · Pisolithaceae · Rhizopogonaceae · Sclerodermataceae · Strobilomycetaceae · Suillaceae
- Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 3,259 species and subspecies in the Order Boletales.
Families
Boletaceae
Boletaceae is a of mushrooms, primarily characterized by holding their spores in small pores on the underside of the mushroom, instead of gills, as are found in agarics. Nearly as widely distributed as agarics, they include the Cep or King Bolete (Boletus edulis), much sought after by mushroom hunters. As a whole, the typical members of the family are commonly known as boletes. [more]
Coniophoraceae
Gomphidiaceae
Gomphidiaceae is a family of mushrooms that are members of the or pored fungi. Unlike other boletes, all members of the Gomphidiaceae (except for Gomphogaster) are agarics, having gills instead of pores. Member genera include Chroogomphus, Cystogomphus, Gomphidius and Gomphogaster, the last being a monotypic genus (i.e. with a single species) which may be incorporated into Gomphidius in the future after molecular assessment. The similarly named genus Gomphus is unrelated to this family. Another genus Brauniellula has since been sunk into Chroogomphus. [more]
Gyroporaceae
Hygrophoropsidaceae
Hymenogasteraceae
Leucogastraceae
Melanogastraceae
Octavianiaceae
Octavianinaceae
Paxillaceae
The Paxillaceae is a of mushrooms bearing close affinity to the Boletes. It contains the genera Paxillus, containing fungi with decurrent gills, and Gyrodon, which has members with decurrent pores, among others. French mycologist René Maire had erected the family in 1902, placing it between the agarics and boletes and recognizing the groups' similarities with the latter group. More recent molecular research confirms the relations of Gyrodon, with the decurrent-pored mushroom G. lividus, and Paxillus as sister groups, together lying near the base of a tree from which the genus Boletus arises. [more]
Pisolithaceae
Rhizopogonaceae
Sclerodermataceae
The Sclerodermataceae are a of fungi in the order Boletales, containing several genera of unusual fungi that little resemble boletes. Taxa, which include species commonly known as the ‘hard-skinned puffballs’, ‘earthballs’, or 'earthstars', are widespread in both temperate and tropical regions. The best known members include the earthball Scleroderma citrinum, the dye fungus Pisolithus tinctorius and the 'prettymouths' of the genus Calostoma. [more]
Strobilomycetaceae
Suillaceae
Suillaceae is a family of fungi in the order , containing the boletus-like Suillus, the small truffle-like Truncocolumella, and Psiloboletinus. [more]
At least 205 species and subspecies belong to the Family Suillaceae.
More info about the Family Suillaceae may be found here.
References
- ^ Binder M & Bresinsky A. (2002): Derivation of polymorphic lineage of Gasteromycetes from boletoid ancestors. Mycologia 94(1), 85-98
- ^ Besl H, Bresinsky A. (1997). Chemosystematics of Suillaceae and Gomphidiaceae (suborder Suillineae). Plant Systematics and Evolution 206:223–242. (abstract)
- ^ McNabb R.F.R. (1967) The Strobilomycetaceae of New Zealand gives a history of this smaller family.
- ^ May, T.W., Milne, J., Wood, A.E., Shingles, S., Jones, R.H. & Neish, P. (2007). Interactive Ca talogue of Australian Fungi. Version 2.0. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra / Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. http://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/fungi/cat/ [accessed 05 Feb 2007].
- ^ Robinson R (2003). Fungi of the South West Forests. Department of Conservation & Land Management, Western Australia. ISBN 0-7307-5528-2.
Sources
- The text on this page is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It includes material from Wikipedia retrieved Thursday, August 13, 2009.
- Photographs on this page are copyrighted by individual photographers, and individual copyrights apply.
- The GMapImageCutter is used under license from the UCL Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis.
- The technology underlying this page, including the Image Browser and controls behind Keep Exploring, is owned by the BayScience Foundation. All rights are reserved.