# Western Painted Suillus (*suillus lakei*)

The Western Painted Suillus is a colorful mushroom that grows in forests! Its bright colors make it look like it's wearing a fun paint job!

- **Category:** [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/fungi)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Snaps:** 2
- **Habitat:** It lives in forests and grassy areas, often near pine trees.

![Western Painted Suillus](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Suillus_lakei--_the_Western_Painted_Suillus_%2823691063864%29.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Dick Culbert from Gibsons, B.C., Canada, CC BY 2.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Suillus_lakei--_the_Western_Painted_Suillus_%2823691063864%29.jpg)

## Appearance

The Western Painted Suillus has a slimy, reddish-brown cap often streaked with yellowish scales, making it look 'painted'. Its underside features a spongy layer of small, angular, yellowish pores instead of gills, a key distinguishing feature.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Fungi
- **Phylum:** Basidiomycota
- **Class:** Agaricomycetes
- **Order:** Boletales
- **Family:** Suillaceae
- **Genus:** Suillus

## Interesting facts

- If you look closely, its cap can feel super sticky, especially after rain!
- It loves to grow near Douglas fir trees, almost like they're best friends underground!
- Some mushrooms have gills, but the Western Painted Suillus has tiny tubes that release spores!
- The 'paint' in its name comes from the reddish-brown streaks that look like brushstrokes!

## Special abilities

- **Tree Team-Up:** Western Painted Suillus forms special root connections with conifer trees that help both organisms get vital nutrients from the soil.
- **Forest Floor Fixer:** Western Painted Suillus helps break down leaves and wood in the forest, returning essential nutrients back into the soil for other plants.
- **Slime Shield:** This mushroom has a sticky cap that acts like a natural shield, helping to protect it from drying out in the sun and deterring some hungry insects.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 5-15 cm
- **Edible:** edible
- **Size:** 5-15 cm
- **Growth Substrate:** soil
- **Season:** Late summer to fall
- **Spore Color:** Olive-brown

## Ecological connections

- **Symbiotic with:** Douglas-fir (*Pseudotsuga menziesii*) — Forms mycorrhizal relationship, helping the tree absorb nutrients.
- **Symbiotic with:** Ponderosa Pine (*Pinus ponderosa*) — Shares nutrients with the tree through root connections.
- **Symbiotic with:** [Western Hemlock](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-hemlock) (*Tsuga heterophylla*) — Forms a mutually beneficial relationship with the hemlock roots.

## Traits

- [Spotted](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spotted): Marked with spots or patches of a different color.
- [Solitary](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/solitary): Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Decomposer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/decomposer): Describes organisms that break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.
- [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.

## Collections

- [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/fungi)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always ask an adult before touching or picking mushrooms.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Western Painted Suillus?

Compare the cap shape, the underside, the stem and base, and whether the fungus grows on wood or soil. Some fungi have gills, others pores or teeth. A cap seen only from above often hides the most useful features. Mushroom Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Western Painted Suillus?

5-15 cm

### Is Western Painted Suillus edible?

edible

### How big is Western Painted Suillus?

5-15 cm

### Where is Western Painted Suillus usually found?

It lives in forests and grassy areas, often near pine trees.

### What does Western Painted Suillus grow on?

soil

### When is Western Painted Suillus in season?

Late summer to fall

### What color are Western Painted Suillus spores?

Olive-brown

## Where to spot

- [Shawnee](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/shawnee) — Colorado, US · Neighborhood
- [Lockhart Beach Provincial Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/lockhart-beach-provincial-park) — British Columbia, CA · State Park

## More Fungi

- [Field Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/field-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Button Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/button-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Portobello Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/portobello-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Shiitake](https://www.snappit.app/explore/shiitake) (*Lentinula*)

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Source: [Western Painted Suillus: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-painted-suillus)