BOLETUS. 275 



distinct from the pileus, the apex contracted, brittle, never 

 reticulated, but villoso-pruinose. (Fries.) 



Stem, as in other species, solid ; but in this species the 

 stem is stuffed with a softer, rather spongy (not elastic) 

 substance that is contiguous with the outer firm portion, 

 naked, 1^2^ inches long, thickened at the base, ventricose, 

 always even, glabrous or villoso-pulverulent, white, some- 

 times yellowish, when touched becoming olive or smoky- 

 grey, flesh white, becoming bluish; pileus when young 

 semiglobose, soon convex and plane below, at length almost 

 plane and convex below, fleshy, not elastic, 2-5 in., 

 yellowish, sometimes bright, at others pallid, sometimes 

 even greyish; villoso-pulverulent, due to short, partly ad- 

 pressed hairs, rarely glabrous, margin patent, acute ; flesh 

 white, when broken becoming blue, when squeezed giving 

 out a bright blue juice. Pores minute, subrotund, white, 

 free from the stem, also becoming bright blue when 

 wounded. (Fries.) 



Boletus parasiticus. Bull. 



Pileus 1^2 in. across, convexo-plane, dry, silky, usually 

 becoming cracked in an areolate manner, dingy, yellowish- 

 tan, flesh about 2 lines thick, equal ; tubes subdecurrent, 

 about 2 lines long, yellow, then reddish-orange or dingy 

 cinnamon, openings rounded, sometimes compound, about 

 ^ mm. across, stem -^2 in. long, incurved, coloured like the 

 pileus, solid, flesh yellow ; spores pale olive-brown, elongato- 

 fusiform, 12-13 X 4: fjt,. 



Boletus parasiticus, Bull., t. 431, f. 1 ; Cke., Hdbk., p. 253. 



Parasitic on species of Scleroderma, Known by its peculiar 

 habitat. Apparently a variable species in colour. 



Berkeley and Broome say, " Pileus silky, dirty yellow, as 

 well as the incurved, rigid, slightly silky stem ; flesh of a 

 pale reddish hue ; tubes decurrent, labyrinthiform, reddish. 

 It is certainly not viscid in any stage of growth." 



Cooke remarks on the above, " We have met with it 

 several times, but there has not been any reddish tint in the 

 tubes of our specimens. Hence, they may vary in colour. 

 Tubes at first sulphur-colour, yellow, then reddish-orange. 

 Spores spindle-shaped, elongated, pale brown, very different 

 from the last (JB. rMfeijiMs), -0005 X -00015 in." 



T 2 



