Did you know that not all members of the fly agaric family are poisonous? An example would be a mushroom float, a photo and a description of which are given in the article. It does not have any value for chefs, but it has good prospects in terms of its use in medicine, so we will consider it in more detail.
Appearance
Every quiet hunter, even an inexperienced one, knows that you need to bypass the mushrooms on a thin stalk with a pale hat - they can be poisonous. But the mushroom float is edible, although it looks unattractive and even dangerous. Its description is as follows:
- The fruit body is small in size.
- The leg is thin, weak, fragile, has a cylindrical shape, slightly expanding downward. Most often painted in off-white or grayish color, may be the same color as the hat. Sometimes it is covered with an unexpressed pattern of scales, it is smooth to the touch or with a slight coating of delicate flakes.
- The hat can be of different shapes: semi-egg-shaped, flat as a plate, or broad-conical, always slightly fleshy and has a very thin furrowed edge. Mostly whitish or gray in color, a mushroom float with a brown or reddish cap is rare. Its surface is shiny, smooth and mostly dry, sometimes covered with sticky mucus.
- The pulp is thin, brittle, tiny, white, which does not change at the cut.
This representative of the fly agaric family looks so unappetizing and nondescript, but, unlike his poisonous counterparts with a hat that is red to a white dot, the mushroom float does not have a characteristic ring on the leg. This is the main difference by which experts determine that in front of them is a conditionally edible mushroom.
Application
I must say that, in addition to the repulsive appearance, the taste of this small mushroom leaves much to be desired: fresh, with a slight bitter aftertaste, it will attract few people. The mushroom has no smell at all. Does such a “miracle” compare with a fragrant and nutritious boletus or delicious chanterelles? In addition, it is difficult to collect, transport, process and prepare it because of its extreme fragility and fragility. Therefore, it is not held in high esteem by mushroom pickers and culinary specialists, unless there is absolutely no crop … Nevertheless, the mushroom float can still be boiled, dried and even pickled.
Interestingly, this member of the fly agaric family contains in large quantities such a substance as betaine. In medicine, this chemical compound is used in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, breast cancer, prostate adenoma, obesity, liver and biliary tract diseases.
Kinds
There are four types of this mushroom:
- White float (var. Alba) - has a pure white color and legs, and hats, is less common than other species, productivity is low, has a small tubercle in the center of the hat, which never grows more than 8-10 cm in diameter.
- Gray (var. Vaginata) - is more common than others. As a rule, this mushroom float is a loner, very rarely you can meet three or more gray floats nearby. As the name implies, it is painted in gray in various shades: from light to very dark. A small hat (up to 10 cm in diameter) is similar to a bell with a tubercle in the middle, along its edges there are small scars.
- Lead gray (var. Plumbea) - very similar to a gray species, but still biologists distinguish it separately. The hat is lead-colored with a light blue tint.
- Olive green, or saffron (var. Olivaceoviridis) - a distinctive characteristic of this species is a hat of a light olive color or with a red tint.
All these species are very similar in shape to each other, it is easiest to distinguish them by the color of their hats and legs.
Where grows
The mushroom float, the photo of which is in the article, can be found throughout the vast territory of Russia. He prefers light deciduous forests, but grows in both mixed and dark coniferous plantings, less often in forest-steppes and in swamps. In the mountains settles at any height. In favorable weather, it bears fruit from mid-May to the end of October, although not one of its varieties is notable for good yields. Unpretentious to external conditions, the mycelium tolerates well both winter frosts and summer heat with drought. Revived even after forest fires.
Different species of this fungus prefer different habitats. For example, a white bobber has chosen light birch forests and sparse conifers. The gray variety feels good in dense grass under oaks and birches, often found on the outskirts of lakes and forest marshes. Lead-gray species hides in the shade of thick oak forests. Saffron mushroom (olive green) is most often found in wet marshy areas.
