Penny bun

Quick facts

Scientific name

Boletus edulis Bull. (1782)

Family

Boletaceae

Edibility

Edible

Season

Sep–Nov

Usual altitude

304–1,645 m

Under which trees

Pine, Fir, Beech, Oak

Dangerous look-alike

Devil's bolete · Rubroboletus satanas

IUCN Red List

Least concern (LC)

How to recognise it

Cap

Pale ochre to chestnut, 8–30 cm, paler margin, greasy when damp

Gills, pores or pits

Pores white when young, then yellow and greenish; they do not stain when touched

Stem

Barrel-shaped and stout, whitish to pale brown, with a fine white net at the top

Flesh when cut

White and firm; does not blue or change colour when cut

Spore print

Olive-brown

Where it grows

Pine, fir, beech, oak and chestnut woods of northern Spain and the mountains of the Meseta, mostly on acid soil with moss and bilberry. The main flush comes after the autumn rains between 800 and 1600 m, in mycorrhiza with Scots, black and maritime pine, fir, beech, oak and chestnut.

Confused with

• Devil's boleteRubroboletus satanasdangerous

  Cap

  Whitish or ash-grey, 8–25 cm, velvety and matt

  Gills, pores or pits

  Pores yellow or orange when young, soon red; they blue when pressed

  Stem

  Very swollen, yellow at the top and carmine red below, with a reddish net

  Flesh when cut

  Whitish and thick; blues only slowly and faintly when cut

  Spore print

  Olive-brown

  Where and when

  Oak and other broadleaf woods on limestone; summer to early autumn

  How to tell them apart: A red net on a red stem and pores that go from orange to red; the penny bun has a white net and white to greenish pores, never red.

  A whitish or ash-grey cap, pores yellow or orange in young specimens that soon turn red, and a reddish net over a swollen stem. The flesh blues only slowly and faintly when cut, so the cut will not rule it out: the red pores and the red net give it away. It causes severe gastric upset.

• Bitter boleteTylopilus felleus

  Cap

  Pale brown to ochre, 5–15 cm, dry, slightly velvety

  Gills, pores or pits

  Pores white when young, turning pink as they mature; they bruise brownish

  Stem

  Stout, ochre to brown, with a coarse dark brown net

  Flesh when cut

  White, turning slightly pinkish; intensely bitter

  Spore print

  Pinkish brown

  Where and when

  Conifer and broadleaf woods, acid soil; summer and autumn

  How to tell them apart: Pores that turn pink and a coarse dark brown net; the penny bun has white to greenish pores and a fine white net.

  The tubes turn pink, the net on the stem is dark, and the flesh is unbearably bitter — it ruins the whole dish, but it does not poison.

When it has been found

Finds recorded in Spain, by month: 1,170 in all, from GBIF. They show when it fruits, and also when people go looking.

Where it has been found

Each square is an area of about 20 km with recorded finds; the darker, the more finds. It does not pinpoint patches: for where it is coming up now, see the forecast map.

Where it comes up

Areas where this species is scoring highest right now.

• Ripollés ComarcasGood · peak excellent
• Lluçanès ComarcasGood · peak excellent
• Berguedà ComarcasGood · peak excellent
• Osona ComarcasGood · peak excellent
• Moianès ComarcasModerate · peak excellent
• Montseny massif MassifsModerate · peak excellent
• Pirineo ComarcasModerate · peak excellent
• Garrotxa ComarcasModerate · peak excellent

In guides and news

• Huesca Pyrenees: altitude, permits and Ordesa

  Area guides · October 1, 2026

• Ripollés: a guide to the mushroom forests of the Pyrenees

  Area guides · October 1, 2026

• Urbión pinewoods: permit, altitudes and season

  Area guides · October 1, 2026

• Cataluña, 17–18 October: conditions better than a week ago

  State of the forest · October 15, 2026

Sources

• GBIF: name, authorship and family
• GBIF: finds recorded in Spain
• IUCN Red List: threat category

The usual altitude and the trees come from our own fit of the model to those finds and to the Spanish Forest Map (Mapa Forestal de España).