(19 votes, average: 3.79 out of 5)
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Chestnut Bolete
Edible 
Autumn 
Summer 
This is a great mushroom to find because if you look around nearby, there will usually be many more underfoot.
The Chestnut Bolete is distinguished from true Boletes by its pale yellow spore print and the hollow stem.
| Mushroom Type | |
| Common Names | Chestnut Bolete (EN), Boled Castan (CY), Piaskowiec Kasztanowaty (PL), Gesztenyebarna Üregestinóru (HU) |
| Scientific Name | Boletus / Gyroporus castaneus |
| Season Start | Aug |
| Season End | Oct |
| Average Mushroom height (CM) | 3-9 |
| Average Cap width (CM) | 3-8 |
Cap
3-8 cm. Pale orange to tawny to darker brown coloured starting convex but soon flattening out. Downy when young becoming smooth. When the mushroom becomes old it usually discolours white from the attack of a mould, the Boletus Eater (Hypomyces chrysospermus).
Pores
White pores that discolour to off-white/pale yellow with age and bruise pale grey.
Stem
3-8 cm long, 1-2.5 cm diameter. Off-white to pale orange to chestnut coloured with white flesh. The stem becomes hollow in most specimens.
Flesh
White and unchanging when exposed to air, very occasionally with a pink flush.
Habitat
Usually with oaks or sweet chestnut but will grow with other hardwoods in woods, gardens, parks and verges.
Possible Confusion
It can be easily distinguished from other boletes by its white pores, brittle flesh and hollow stem, therefore it’s an easy one for British foragers to identify.
Be aware that it must be strictly avoided when in Portugal, Spain and France. The related Gyroporus ammophilus that is found in these countries is almost identical looking and very poisonous.
Also lookout for the rare Cornflower Bolete (Gyroporus cyanescens), a related and similar mushroom that turns vividly blue wherever it is touched. As it’s rare it’s best to avoid picking it.
Spore Print
Pale straw coloured. Ellipsoid.
Taste / Smell
Mushroomy but not strong. Must be cooked before consumption.
Frequency
Uncommon, can be found locally in the South of England.
Other Facts
It has been reported that a small amount of people have experienced gastric upsets after consuming these mushrooms.
3 comments for Chestnut Bolete
Sub tropical coast Queensland Australia. Brisbane area.
Just found in grass cuttings in garden, under Australian native Lemon Myrtle tree. Garden damp after recent summer rain. Humidity high. Temperature in Celsius fluctuating between low thirties dropping to low twenties overnight. I have found just one beautiful boletus mushroom. First time seeing one in my 14 year old garden. Would like to attach a photo but think mine matches your pics
Hi Barb,
Australian mushrooms are a bit out of our sphere but a bolete mushroom should be easy to identify anywhere on the planet! Coming out of the ground, sponge underneath in the UK and Europe it is a bolete. Our rules around edibility of boletes could not be applied in Australia without some serious local research.
Found two of these in beautiful condition earlier today in a local wood area (North London), around 1m from a large oak tree around leaf litter and near a group of nettles.