Edible mushroom - intermediate Season - summer to autumn Common names Blue foot bolete
Scientific name meaning: Xero is from the Greek Xer, meaning dry. Ellus is Latin for diminutive, in this case, like a small Xerocomus. Cisalpinus is from the Latin words Cis and Alpinus, meaning on this side and Alpine
Habitat  A mycorrhizal fungus that associates with deciduous and coniferous trees, oak, beech, pine, cedar and spruce. |
Overall structure and growth  The blue foot bolete can be found as scattered individual specimens or in large groups. It is quite an untidy mushroom and often has a misshapen cap and stem. It is susceptible to slug/snail damage and, like other Xerocomoids, Hypomyces infection. |
Cap  Between 5 and 10cm wide, the cap has a shallow dome shape to it. It starts off brown with a velvety texture, but the surface skin cracks as the cap expands. The yellow flesh flushed red can be seen through the cracks. |
Pores, tubes and spores  The pore surface and tubes start off lemon yellow turning slowly more green-yellow with age. They pore are angular. When damaged, the pore surface slowly bruises blue. The spores are olive-brown. |
Stem  Around 4 to 8cm tall and 1 to 1.5cm wide, the stem is yellow at the top, turning red towards the base. If the stem is cut from top to bottom, a red stained area is often visible near the base. It is sometime slightly wider at the cap end than at the base. It has no ring, or skirt. |
Flesh, taste and smell  The flesh is yellow, bruising blue-green slowly, particularly in the base of the stem. |
Possible lookalikes  Easily confused with the red cracking bolete (Xerocomellus chrysenteron) but this does not bruise blue-green so intensely in the stem base when damaged. The red cracking bolete is also edible and associates with conifers and, rarely, beech. |
Use as a food Must be cooked but has a poor flavour and texture. Used mostly to bulk out a mushroom mix Hazards None known
Use in herbal medicine and medicine None known
If you are suffering from any ailment or need medical advice, please see your General Practitioner Other uses None known Importance to other species Slugs and snails often eat these mushrooms, as do various larvae
Always stay safe when foraging. You need to be 100% sure of your identification, 100% sure that your foraged item is edible, and 100% sure that you are not allergic to it (it is good practice to always try a small amount of any new food you are consuming). If in doubt, leave it out!
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