- Scientific name
- Boletus subalpinus
- Author
- (Trappe & Thiers) Nuhn, Manfr. Binder, A.F.S. Taylor, Halling & Hibbett
- Common names
-
- IUCN Specialist Group
Mushroom, Bracket and Puffball
- Kingdom
- Fungi
- Phylum
- Basidiomycota
- Class
- Agaricomycetes
- Order
- Boletales
- Family
- Boletaceae
- Assessment status
-
Published
- Assessment date
- 2018-11-01
- IUCN Red List Category
-
LC
- Assessors
- Siegel, N.
- Reviewers
- Castellano, M.
Assessment Notes
Justification
Gastroboletus subalpinus is a strange looking gastroid boletes with a persistent skin covering the pores. It is an ectomycorrhizal fungus associated with conifers in young to old high elevation forests and widely distributed in such habitats in in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Ranges in western North America. There is no evidence of decline. It can be locally abundant where suitable forest habitat exists. Therefore, it is assessed as Least Concern (LC).
Taxonomic notes
Described by Trappe and Thiers (1969), from a collection made near Mount Hood in Oregon, USA. This species was previously assigned to the genus
Gastroboletus, but this was paraphyletic, accommodating species from a number of genus-level lineages with semi-sequestrate to sequestrate fruitbodies. Genetic studies by Nuhn
et al. (2013) indicated a close affiliation between
Gastroboletus subalpinus and the genus
Boletus; hence the recombination into
Boletus.
Geographic range
Known from mid to high elevation fir (
Abies spp.) forests in western North American mountains. Common in the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade mountains in California and Oregon, rare in Washington.
Population and Trends
Currently known from 80 locations, over a wide area in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountains in western North America. It is listed as an S1 species in the state of Washington, USA, (Washington Natural Heritage Program List) and is included on the Pacific Northwest Forest Plan (Castellano 1999) as a Survey and Manage species.
Population Trend: stable
Habitat and Ecology
Fruit bodies variable, completely buried to partially exposed in duff under conifers; rarely entirely exposed above duff layer. Ectomycorrhizal, probably associated with White Fir (
Abies concolor) and Red Fir (
Abies magnifica), and possibly other members of Pinaceae. It occurs in young to mature high elevation
Abies forests; especially in Sierra Mixed Conifer, and Red Fir forests in California, and in slightly drier montane and Cascade eastern slope forests in Oregon and Washington.
Threats
There are no major threats to this species. It occurs in young to mature
Abies forest, with a large geographic distribution.
Use and Trade
Although this is an edible species, it is rarely collected for food.
Source and Citation
Siegel, N. 2019. Boletus subalpinus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T138329487A138330321.
https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T138329487A138330321.en .Accessed on 3 February 2025