An edible species, it is found in Asia and eastern North America, where it grows in a mycorrhizal association with oak, hemlock, and pine trees.

Originally named Boletus russellii by Charles Christopher Frost in 1878 from collections made in New England,[3] the species was transferred to Boletellus by Edouard-Jean Gilbert in 1931.

[5] The specific epithet russellii honors American botanist and Unitarian minister John Lewis Russell, the first collector of the species.

Reddish brown to pinkish tan in color, the stem is solid (i.e., not hollow or stuffed with a pith), sometimes curved, and sticky at the base when moist.

[9] Aureoboletus russellii is known from eastern North America,[10] where it grows singly or scattered on the ground in association with oak, hemlock, and pine trees.