The species was first described scientifically by American mycologist Charles Horton Peck in 1879.

[1] This species is very similar to two other red boletes, Baorangia bicolor and Boletus pseudosensibilis.

Perhaps the most characteristic trait of this mushroom is its near instantaneous blue staining when handled, which led to the species' name sensibilis, adapted from the Latin word for sensitive.

[2][3] He nevertheless suggests that there is correlation between the "curry-like" smell and the bluing reaction: "But I can tell you that I have not found any of the variations in features to correlate with any of the others, with the possible exception of the curry odor and the more eagerly bruising collections, which often seem to go hand in hand (this may help explain the phenomenon of mislabeling anything that smells like curry as Boletus sensibilis)."

The mushroom is mycorrhizal with hardwoods, and can often be seen growing near oaks or beech in the fall and summer east of the Rocky Mountains.