Boletus barrowsii
This bolete has long been popular in the Southwest as a table item. The problem
has always been beating the worms to the mushrooms. It occurs in the Ponderosa
Pine forest, although there are sporadic records from spruce-fir areas.
Generally, the best fruitings occur in the middle portions of the season when
rains and humidity are highest. The result is that, although there are plenty of
boletes, they are consumed by tiny grubs as fast as they come out. Seasons vary
from year to year as to how successful fruitings will be and one or two years in
ten will be truly plentiful. The open, dry Ponderosa Pine forest accumulates
moisture much more slowly than Spruce-fir or mixed conifer forest. As a result
the fruiting period is usually shorter, more prone to insect infestation and
other damage (rodents, deer fungus attacks, etc.) One often finds this species
with Russula brevipes, Hygrophorus erubescens and H. speciosus,
Tricholoma aurantium, Boletus edulis, Amanita muscaria and A. rubescens,
Gomphus bonari, and several Ramaria species. In our area there is no bolete
that could be easily confused with it, although the cap color is not unlike that
of Boletus pulcherrimus. This latter species seems to occur in the mixed conifer
forest, principally under Douglas Fir or White Fir, and has red tubes rather than
the yellowish to olive evident in B. Barrowsii.
Chuck Barrows, the original collector of this species, always claimed this was
the best eating of all the boletes and it certainly is excellent. He also said
it had nothing to do with the fact that this particular mushroom was named after
him, but that might have some bearing on its excellence.
At any rate Boletus barrowsii is an evident and much sought after species. It
may attain large size (up to 10 in-diam) and be extremely abundant. I have seen
especially large fruitings in the Los Alamos area with hundreds of fruiting
bodies scattered amongst the pines. Its a shame that collectors feel compelled
to knock over and destroy the larger fruiting bodies since they provide food for
wildlife and spores for future generations of boletes.
The distribution of B. barrowsii is of considerable interest. Originally located
in northern New Mexico, A.H. Smith also reported a collection from Idaho.
Shortly after its publication, specimens were reported from northern Arizona,
Utah, and subsequently from coastal California and Mexico as well. It is
fascinating that a species that was unknown for so long should be so widely
distributed. Recently one of my students told me he had collected B. barowsii in
the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Bill Isaacs
1996-12-31