Contents
Stropharia crown belongs to agaric mushrooms from the Hymenogaster family. It has several names: red, decorated, crown ring. The Latin name is Stropharia coronilla.
What does stropharia crown look like?
The variability in the color of the cap and plates of many mushroom pickers is misleading.
The pulp has a dense structure, the color is white or yellowish.
Cap Description
Only young representatives can boast of a conical shape of the cap, mature ones have a prostrate, smooth surface. In some cases, you can notice the presence of small scales. The diameter depends on the age of the mushroom body and ranges from 2-8 cm.
When you cut the cap, you can find that it is hollow inside. The color is uneven: lighter at the edges, darker towards the center. During the rainy season, the hat acquires an oily sheen. On the inside of the plate are not often placed. They can be unevenly adherent to the base or fit tightly.
Description of the leg
The leg of the crowned stropharia has the shape of a cylinder, slightly tapering towards the base. In young specimens, the stem is solid, becoming hollow with age.
The color of the ring is given by crumbling mature spores. In older specimens, the ring disappears.
Another characteristic sign of red stropharia is that root processes are visible on the stem, deepening into the ground.
Is the mushroom edible or not?
Due to the low prevalence of studies of the species was not engaged. There is no exact data on the edibility of the mushroom. In some sources, the species is listed as conditionally edible, in others it is classified as poisonous. Experienced mushroom pickers advise to beware of bright specimens, because the richer the color of the hat, the more dangerous they can be for health. In order not to expose yourself and your family to the risk of poisoning, it is better to refuse to collect and harvest crowned stropharia.
Where and how to grow
This species loves manure places, so it is most often found in pastures. Chooses sandy soil, very rarely grows on decaying wood. Crowned stropharia prefers flat terrain, but the appearance of mushrooms is also noted in low mountains.
Usually there are single specimens, sometimes small groups. Large families are not formed. The appearance of mushrooms is noted by the end of summer, fruiting continues until the first frost.
In Our Country, crowned stropharia can be found in the Leningrad, Vladimir, Samara, Ivanovo, Arkhangelsk regions, as well as in the Krasnodar Territory and the Crimea.
Twins and their differences
You can confuse crowned stropharia with other species of this family.
Stropharia shitty differs in smaller sizes. The maximum diameter of the cap is 2,5 cm. It has more brownish hues, in contrast to the lemon-yellow specimens of crowned stropharia. When damaged, the flesh does not turn blue. According to some sources, the mushroom is classified as hallucinogenic, so it is not eaten.
Stropharia Gornemann has a red-brown hat, a shade of yellow or gray may be present. The ring on the leg is light, it collapses quickly. Refers to conditionally edible mushrooms. After a long boil, the bitterness disappears and the mushrooms are eaten. Some sources indicate the toxicity of the species, so it is better to refrain from collecting.
sky blue stropharia has a matte blue cap color with an admixture of ocher spots. Young mushrooms have a ring on the stem, which disappears in old age. It belongs to conditionally edible, but it is better to refuse the collection in order to avoid indigestion.
Conclusion
Crowned stropharia is a type of fungus that has not been properly studied. There is no data to support its edibility. Found in fields and pastures fertilized with manure. Appears after rains in the second half of summer, grows until frost.