Described by Pierre Bulliard in 1790 as "Boletus piperatus", it is only distantly related to other members of the genus "Boletus" and was reclassified as "Chalciporus piperatus" by Frédéric Bataille in 1908. The genus "Chalciporus" was an early branching lineage in the Boletaceae and appears to be related to boletes with parasitic properties. Previously thought to be ectomycorrhizal (a symbiotic relationship that occurs between a fungus and the roots of various plant species), "C. piperatus" is now suspected of being parasitic on "Amanita muscaria". The flesh of "C. piperatus" has a very peppery taste.