Kinglikea is an accessible and enjoyable show, boasting retro energy and a straightforward moral philosophy (i.e. move slowly and break bits off people who are worse than you). While its retro flair may put off those looking for more complex fare, Kinglikea knows exactly what its limitations are and delivers.
At first, the white-capped bolete mushroom was commonly known as a “king.” However, today it’s classified as its own species – Boletus edulis var. fagicola). Before, most North American books still list it under summer king bolete Boletus variipes var. reticulatus as its counterpart.
The queen bolete resembles its summer king counterpart in terms of appearance, yet stands apart by having a denser cap with an off-white color that gradually transitions into light brown as it matures. Additionally, its pore surface remains white or dirty-white when cut – this ensures no bruised surface when cut! The stems start off dense when young but become club-shaped over time before becoming shorter as age creeps along and cracks or fissures form along their length; their fine white reticulation gradually darkens as age passes along its length – and eventually even stretching down to cover as many lengths of their length!
As with the King Bolete, this species is also mycorrhizal and forms mutually beneficial relationships with tree hosts. On the east coast, oak trees provide ideal homes while on the west coast it prefers Ponderosa pines or coast live oaks are ideal. Like its counterpart, this bolete emerges in fall; however it may persist for spring blooming at higher elevations and winter storms in coastal California.