False white mushrooms: photo and description, varieties

It is not uncommon for inexperienced mushroom pickers to pick up a dangerous double of a white mushroom instead of a real one, which inevitably leads to quite serious food poisoning. In small quantities, some false species are not capable of causing significant harm to health, however, there are also twins that, if eaten, can be fatal.

Are there false white mushrooms

Going to the forest for a porcini mushroom, you should always be on the alert – false twins similar to it are very common, and many of these mushrooms are poisonous or simply inedible. At best, such a crop will spoil future preparations and other dishes – the bitterness from false species quickly spreads to real mushrooms. It is very difficult to get rid of it even after a long soak.

There are no grebes that look like white mushrooms, as they are quite massive. The outlines of the former are generally much more elegant, so it is difficult to confuse them.

What are porcini mushrooms called?

Sometimes a false porcini fungus is called bitter or gall fungus, however, this is not entirely true. The term includes several similar varieties at once, which include the following:

• boletus is beautiful;
• gall fungus;
• satanic pain;
• spotted oak;
• boletus le Gaul.

In order not to confuse real and false porcini mushrooms, it is important to familiarize yourself with the main characteristics of these species and carefully study their photos.

The stalk of an authentic porcini mushroom is relatively smooth and without reticulate formations.

What do false white mushrooms look like?

In order not to accidentally pick up a false white mushroom, it is recommended not only to familiarize yourself with the names and photos of its dangerous counterparts, but also to carefully study the features of their internal structure. The color and texture of the flesh can tell if a real boletus has been found.

Satan’s Mushroom

Satanic mushroom (lat. Boletus satanas) or satanic pain is a common counterpart of the white mushroom, which can grow up to 20-25 cm in diameter and 15 cm in height. His hat has the appearance of a hemisphere and resembles a pillow. As it matures, its shape changes slightly, approaching the prostrate type. The surface of the cap is smooth to the touch, dry. The color varies from white and grayish tones to dark olive, sometimes with buffy stains.

The thickness of the stem is on average 6-10 cm. In young bolets, it looks like an egg in shape, even a ball, but then becomes tuberous. In mature specimens, the stem is rather dense, narrowed upwards.

The flesh of the satanic boletus is white in young specimens and yellowish in ripe ones. At the incision site, it changes its color – damaged fibers may turn slightly blue or acquire a reddish tint. Changes occur within five minutes. Old fruits smell bad.

You can distinguish satanic pain by the following characteristics:

1. The double has a rather massive barrel-shaped leg.
2. The hat has a rough surface and looks like velvet.
3. The tubular layer of the false species is red or orange. His leg also becomes red with age.
4. Ripe fruiting bodies smell like rotten onions.

Despite the fact that in some sources the satanic pain is indicated as conditionally edible, in no case should it be eaten.

The leg of a ripe satanic mushroom becomes scarlet, however, closer to the hat it is yellowish

gall fungus

Bile mushroom (lat. Tylopilus felleus), mustard or false porcini mushroom is another inedible counterpart that has an unpleasant taste of pulp. Its size is quite small – the hat reaches only 10-12 cm in diameter. In shape, it is convex, hemispherical, but as it matures, its appearance changes. Older specimens have flatter caps.

To the touch, the surface of the fruiting body is smooth and dry. The color of the hat is brown. It does not have a pronounced odor.

It differs from a genuine porcini mushroom by a tubular layer, which is painted in an off-white or pink tone. Also, the flesh of the fruiting body becomes pink on the cut, however, the changes are rather minor. It is necessary to carefully look at it 5-8 minutes after damage has been applied.

The bile fungus is distinguished from a genuine porcini mushroom mainly by the appearance of the stem and cap.

Gorchak has a wider hat, and his leg is covered with a large mesh

Borovik is beautiful

Beautiful boletus (lat. Boletus pulcherrimus), it is also called the most beautiful boletus – a poisonous false species with a velvety hat. It can grow up to 25 cm in diameter. To the touch it is a little dry, the color is brown with a red tint, the flesh of the boletus is dense, yellowish. The leg of the double is quite thick – about 15 cm wide.

A distinctive feature of a beautiful mushroom is a red leg with a palpable mesh

Speckled oak

Dubovik speckled (lat. Boletus erythropus) is one of the few conditionally edible twins of the white fungus. The pulp of fruiting bodies can be added to soups and roasts, and this type is also suitable for harvesting.

Dubovik grows on average up to 20 cm in diameter, however, its leg is rather short – only 6-10 cm. The surface of the cap is dry to the touch, slightly velvety. In shape, it resembles a crumpled pillow. The color of the cap is red-brown.

Spotted oak is easy to recognize by how the edge of its cap behaves after pressure or impact – it darkens quite quickly under pressure. Also a characteristic feature of a false double is the darkening of the pulp. If the fruiting body is cut, it will turn bluish-blue.

Dubovik hat is quite voluminous, but does not have a clear shape

Borovyk le Gal

Boletus le Gal (lat. Boletus legaliae), also legal boletus, is another poisonous counterpart of the white fungus that can grow up to 15 cm in diameter. The cap is hemispherical, smooth to the touch. The surface is painted in pinkish color with an admixture of orange. The leg of the boletus is thick, about 5-6 cm in diameter.

The flesh of this false twin is pale, slightly yellowish. The aroma of fruiting bodies is pleasant.

The main distinguishing feature of this species from the white fungus is the presence of a fine reddish mesh on the stem.

On the cut, the flesh of the boletus quickly turns blue

How to distinguish white mushroom from false

In order not to confuse a real white mushroom with a false one, you need to familiarize yourself with the main signs of twins. These include the following characteristics:

1. The pulp of mustard, satanic pain and some other similar varieties changes color at the cut or fracture site, turning into brownish or reddish hues. In boletus boletus, damaged fibers may turn blue. In the case of a real porcini mushroom, this does not happen.
2. At the mustard, a tuberculate mesh is felt on the leg, which is not present on the fruiting body of an edible porcini mushroom.
3. In a freshly cut gall fungus, a milky juice begins to stand out on a leg, in contrast to white.
4. Externally, a false double is almost always more attractive. This is explained by the fact that there are no external injuries on the fruiting body, since insects and animals are repelled by the taste of the pulp.

What is dangerous false porcini mushroom

The poisonous counterpart of the white fungus is dangerous because its pulp may contain toxic substances. They quickly penetrate into the human blood and soon affect the liver cells, destroying its structure. Additionally, toxic components negatively affect the nervous system and blood vessels.

False porcini mushroom poisoning

Symptoms of false porcini mushroom poisoning may vary slightly depending on the species, however, in general, the patient’s condition can be described as follows:

1. During the first 24 hours after eating a double, a person may feel atypical weakness and dizziness. The next day, the condition usually improves.
2. After 5-10 days, signs of poisoning appear again. This time it is expressed in severe nausea, vomiting, violation of the stool. Sometimes the temperature may rise.
3. If the false double contains a large amount of toxic substances, then at some point the victim begins to hallucinate.
4. After eating a large amount of poisonous pulp, blood vessels, nerve endings and liver cells are damaged. Limb cramps are possible.
5. With a high concentration of toxic substances, cirrhosis of the liver can begin.

Conclusion

A dangerous double of the porcini fungus can cause irreparable damage to human health and often causes accidents. When eating a large number of false fruiting bodies, a fatal outcome is possible, especially if it is satanic – even a small piece of it poses a mortal threat. Some other species cause cirrhosis of the liver, destroying its structure. In order for a quiet hunt to be successful, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the main distinguishing features of false twins.

For more information on how to collect a real porcini mushroom, you can learn from the video below: