Cep (birch form)

Description

This is the birch form of the cep (Boletus edulis f. betulicola). In 1966 the mycologist B. P. Vassilkov described eighteen forms of the cep, separated by their mycorrhizal partner, season and climate; on that view the cep is a species in the broad sense (Boletus edulis sensu lato), and four of these forms are treated by other authors as species in their own right. Some authors treat it as a species of its own, Boletus betulicola, while GBIF lists it as a synonym of Boletus edulis. The cap is 5—15 cm across, at first cushion-shaped and later flatter; its surface is smooth or slightly wrinkled, glossy, whitish-ochre to pale yellow, sometimes almost white — paler than in the other forms. The flesh is white and firm and does not change colour when cut. The stipe is 5—12 cm long, barrel-shaped, whitish-brown, with a white net in its upper part. The fungus forms mycorrhiza with birch and usually grows along forest edges and roadsides. Season: June to October. Translated from the Russian-language Wikipedia — the species has no article of its own in English.