biology

Suillus grevillei

Suillus grevillei is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Suillus grevillei rather than just read about it. In short: Suillus grevillei, commonly known as tamarack jack, Greville's bolete, or larch bolete, is a mycorrhizal mushroom with a tight, brilliantly coloured cap, shiny and wet looking with its mucous slime layer. The hymenium easily separates from the flesh of the cap, with a central stalk that is quite slender.

Key takeaways

Suillus grevillei belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Suillus grevillei to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Suillus grevillei from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Suillus grevillei, commonly known as tamarack jack, Greville's bolete, or larch bolete, is a mycorrhizal mushroom with a tight, brilliantly coloured cap, shiny and wet looking with its mucous slime layer. The hymenium easily separates from the flesh of the cap, with a central stalk that is quite slender. The species has a ring or a tight-fitting annular zone.

Etymology The specific epithet is derived from Robert Kaye Greville.

Description Suillus grevillei is a mushroom with a 5–10 cm (2–4 in) cap colored from citrus yellow to burnt orange, that is at first hemispherical, then bell-shaped, and finally flattened. It has a sticky skin, often with veil remnants on the edge, short tubes of yellow (possibly staining brownish) which descend down to the bottom of its cylindrical stalk (6–10 x 1–2 cm), which is yellowish above the ring area with streaks of reddish brown below. The flesh is yellow, staining brown. Taste mild to slightly astringent to bitterish; odor none to somewhat metallic.

Habitat and distribution It grows only under larch trees. Widespread in North America and Europe (July–November). In Asia, it has been recorded from Taiwan.

Edibility Suillus grevillei can be cooked as an edible mushroom, though one without culinary interest, if the slimy cuticle is removed from the cap.

Chemistry The fungus produces grevillin which is characteristic of this fungus. Contain at least 11 yellow, orange, and red pigments derived from decarboxylated pulvinic acids, of which 3',4',4- trihydroxypulvinone is the major pigment. Cyclovariegatin is also partly responsible for its colour. The genetic and enzymatic basis for atromentin, the precursor to various pulvinic acid-type pigments, has been characterized (an atromentin synthetase by the name, GreA). A cosmid library (31 249 bp in total) has been made from the genome. The estimated gene density based on the cosmid library is 1 per 3900 bp of genomic DNA. The genome has a GC content of 49.8%.

See also List of North American boletes Larch bolete, other species of fungi associated with larch

References

Works in French Régis Courtecuisse, Bernard Duhem : Guide des champignons de France et d'Europe (Delachaux & Niestlé, 1994-2000). Marcel Bon : Champignons de France et d'Europe occidentale (Flammarion, 2004) Dr Ewaldt Gerhardt : Guide Vigot des champignons (Vigot, 1999) - ISBN 2-7114-1413-2 Roger Phillips : Les champignons (Solar, 1981) - ISBN 2-263-00640-0 Thomas Laessoe, Anna Del Conte : L'Encyclopédie des champignons (Bordas, 1996) - ISBN 2-04-027177-5 Peter Jordan, Steven Wheeler : Larousse saveurs - Les champignons (Larousse, 1996) - ISBN 2-03-516003-0 G. Becker, Dr L. Giacomoni, J Nicot, S. Pautot, G. Redeuihl, G. Branchu, D. Hartog, A. Herubel, H. Marxmuller, U. Millot et C. Schaeffner : Le guide des hampignons (Reader's Digest, 1982) - ISBN 2-7098-0031-4 Henri Romagnesi : Petit atlas des champignons (Bordas, 1970) - ISBN 2-04-007940-8

External links Media related to Suillus grevillei at Wikimedia Commons Baura G, Szaro TM, Bruns TD. 1992. Gastrosuillus laricinius is a recent derivative of Suillus grevillei: molecular evidence. Mycologia 84(4): 592–597.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Suillus grevillei

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Suillus grevillei claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Suillus grevillei before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Suillus grevillei ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Suillus grevillei

In research: Suillus grevillei appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Suillus grevillei in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Suillus grevillei is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Edible fungi, Fungi described in 1945, Fungi of Asia, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Suillus grevillei outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Suillus grevillei in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Suillus grevillei means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Suillus grevillei out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Suillus grevillei in simple terms?

Why does Suillus grevillei matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Suillus grevillei?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Suillus grevillei.