Suillus pungens Thiers and Smith
Cont. Toward a Monogr. of N. Am. Sp. of Suillus, p. 92. 1964.

Common Name: Slippery Jack

• Pileus

  Cap 5-13 cm broad, convex, nearly plane in age; margin incurved when young with cottony, white velar tissue; surface viscid, smooth, white, becoming grey with olive tones, at maturity various combinations of rusty-brown, reddish-brown or a dull yellowish-brown, the latter typical of old fruiting bodies; flesh white, turning yellow at maturity, not bruising blue; odor and taste fruity but harsh.

• Hymenophore

  Pores at first white to cream, exuding white droplets in moist weather; in age pores yellowish to dingy, yellow-brown, not bruising blue.

• Stipe

  Stipe 3-8 cm tall, 1.5-2.0 cm thick, equal, sometimes tapering slightly to the base; surface dry, white to pale yellow, dotted with buff-colored glands that at maturity become dark-brown; flesh not bruising blue.

• Spores

  Spores 9-10 x 3-3.5 µm, elliptical, smooth; spore print brown.

• Habitat

  Scattered to gregarious under Monterey Pine (Pinus radiata); fruiting sporadically in watered areas during the summer months; often in large numbers after the fall rains.

• Edibility

  Edible, but not choice, due to a soft texture and harsh flavor; like many boletes, it frequently is infested with fly larva; young specimens are sometimes dried or pickled after peeling the slimy cuticle.

• Comments

  Suillus pungens fruits abundantly under Monterey Pine, frequently in the company of Chroogomphus vinicolor, the Pine Spike. This "slippery jack", so named because of its slimy cap, undergoes a series of color changes starting out white, then grey with touches of olive, finally a mixture of rusty-brown and yellow-brown tones. The pungent odor and milky droplets on the pores of young specimens are also important field characters.

• References

  Bessette, A.E., Roody, W.C. & Bessette, A.R. (2000). North American Boletes: A Color Guide to the Fleshy Pored Mushrooms. Syracuse University Press: Syracuse, NY. 400 p.
  Smith, A.H. & Thiers, H.D. (1964). A Contribution Toward A Monograph of North American Species of Suillus. Privately Published: Ann Arbor, MI. 116 p.
  Thiers, H.D. (1967). California boletes III. The genus Suillus. Madroño 19: 148-160.
  Thiers, H.D. (1975). The status of the genus Suillus in the United States. Beih. Nova Hedw. 51: 247-278.
  Thiers, H.D. (1975). California Mushrooms—A Field Guide to the Boletes. Hafner Press: New York, NY. 261 p. (WWW)
  Thiers, H.D. (1979). The genus Suillus in the Western United States. Mycotaxon 9(1): 285-296.
  

• Other Descriptions and Photos
  • Boleslaw Kuznik: Suillus pungens (CP)
  • Boleslaw Kuznik: Suillus pungens (CP) -- young sporocarps
  • Fred Stevens: Suillus pungens (CP)
  • Fred Stevens: Suillus pungens (CP)
  • Fred Stevens: Suillus pungens (CP)
  • Michael Wood: Suillus pungens (CP)
  • Boletes of California: Suillus pungens (D & CP)
  • Boleslaw Kuznik -- Hunting for Mushrooms: Suillus pungens (CP)
  • Mushroom Observer: Suillus pungens (CP)
  • Arora (1986): p. 503 (D & P), plate 114 (CP)
  • Arora (1991): p. 176 (CP)
  • Bessette et al. (2000): p. 250 (D), p. 339 (CP)
  • Lincoff: p. 588 (D), plate 386 (CP)
  • Smith: sp. 51 (D & CP)
  • Thiers (1975): p. 203 (D)
  
  

  (D=Description; I=Illustration; P=Photo; CP=Color Photo)