Xerocomus armeniacus

Foto © Marco Floriani - Maso Postel (Pergine Valsugana, TN)

Xerocomus armeniacus

(Quél.) Quél.

Xerocomus armeniacus is one of the several Xerocomus species with a red orange cap. Its most typical cap colour is apricot orange, as in the specimens illustrated, but other colour forms exist (e.g., X. armeniacus fo. luteolus Engel & Antonín, with a yellow cap, and the red-capped X. armeniacus fo. erythrocephalus (Lucand) Simonini ad interim). Recognizing this species without the aid of microscopical characters is not easy; the most typical forms may however be recognized thanks to their orange cap colour and more or less orange colour of the flesh in the stipe base. Microscopically, the pileipellis structure and spore size are distinctive, but critical collections occurr (Ladurner, 2001). (m.f.)