Cep (pine form)

Description

This is the pine form of the cep (Boletus edulis f. pinicola). 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. It is now recognised as a species of its own, Boletus pinophilus, commonly known as the pine bolete or pinewood king bolete: for many years it was considered a subspecies or form of the porcini until genetic studies confirmed its distinct status. It has a red-brown to maroon cap and a large bulbous stipe covered with coarse orange-red reticulation, and grows predominantly in coniferous forests on sandy soil throughout Europe and western Asia. It is edible.