Fungus · GBIF taxon 5239915
Chicken Fat Mushroom
Suillus americanusAlso known as American Suillus, White Pine Bolete
Forming an obligate mycorrhizal partnership with eastern white pine, this bolete bursts forth in damp woods from late summer through autumn. The bright yellow cap is coated in a thick, sticky gluten that traps fallen pine needles and forest debris, shielding the developing tissues beneath. Slender stems dotted with reddish-brown glandular smears support an expansive yellow pore layer that bruises slowly when disturbed.
MycorrhizalForest DwellerSlimy Cap
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Mycorrhizal
Predators
- Fungus gnats
- Slugs
- Red squirrels
ThreatsDeforestation, pine blights, and soil compaction
HabitatsConiferous and mixed woodlands, exclusively under eastern white pine
Life span1–2 weeks (fruiting body); perennial (mycelium)
Classification
- OrderBoletales
- FamilySuillaceae
- GenusSuillus
- SpeciesSuillus americanus
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Handling may cause contact dermatitis; many edible mushrooms have toxic look-alikes, so never eat wild fungi based on app identification alone.
- Why it is dangerous
- Contact with the glutinous slime layer triggers mild to severe allergic contact dermatitis in sensitive individuals, producing an itchy rash.
- How to recognize a risky encounter
- Look for a bright yellow cap streaked with reddish scales, large angular pores, and dark glandular smears on the yellow stalk.
- What to do
- Avoid bare-skin contact if sensitive to boletes, or wear gloves and wash hands thoroughly after examination.
Responsible observation
- Finding: Search the needle duff directly beneath mature eastern white pines following soaking late-summer rains.
- Spore Printing: Place a mature cap pore-side down on white paper overnight to record the cinnamon-brown spore deposit.
- Field Examination: Use a hand lens to study the tiny, dark glandular dots scattered along the slender stem.
Host Tree (c) Forest and Kim Starr, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Same Genus (c) Jerry Cooper, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Jerry Cooper · cc-by
Image unavailableClose Relative 
Close Relative (c) Kurt Miller, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Kurt Miller · cc-by-sa
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