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Cinder flake (Pholiota highlandensis) is an unusual fungus of the Strophariaceae family (Strophariaceae), genus Pholiota (Scale), which can be found on the site of fires or small fires. Also, the fungus is called foliot cinder, coal-loving flake.
What does cinder flake look like
The flake cinder got its name because of the scaly surface of the fruiting body. It belongs to plastic mushrooms. The plates are located at a short distance from each other, fused with the stem, they contain spores. In young specimens, the plates are gray in color, but as the spores grow and mature, the shade changes to clay brown.
The photo below shows the cinder flake in its mature state, when the color of the plates has already acquired a brown tint.
Cap Description
In a young flake, the cap looks like a hemisphere; during growth, it opens. The diameter is from 2 to 6 cm, the color is heterogeneous, brown with an orange tint, the color becomes lighter closer to the edges. The surface of the cap is sticky with a sheen and radial, fibrous scales of small size. Due to high humidity in wet and rainy weather, the skin of the cap becomes slippery, as it is covered with mucus, in the heat it is sticky and shiny. The edges are wavy, and in the center of the cap there is a wide truncated tubercle. The pulp is quite dense, on a break of a light yellow or light brown color.
Description of the leg
The leg is long, it can reach up to 60 mm in height and up to 10 mm in diameter. In the lower part it is covered with brown fibers, and on top it has a lighter color, identical to the hat. The leg itself has small scales that are reddish to brown in color. The zone of the ring is highlighted in brown, but it quickly disappears, so the trace is almost invisible.
Is the mushroom edible or not?
Coal-loving foliot is determined to a number of inedible mushrooms. Due to the lack of culinary value, since it is tasteless and odorless, it is practically not used as food. In rare cases, mushrooms are boiled and then fried or pickled.
Where and how to grow
Cinder flake begins to grow in the spring, most often occurs from early June to October. It grows in a temperate climate, it is considered the most common in Europe, Asia, North America. In Our Country, you can find it at the site of old fires in coniferous, deciduous and mixed forests. It mainly grows in the territory located from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok.
Twins and their differences
Due to the peculiarity of growth, namely in the place of old fires, the cinder flake does not have twins and similar mushrooms. But if we make a comparison, then in most cases in appearance it resembles toadstools and inedible species of the genus Scale.
Conclusion
Cinder flake is an unremarkable mushroom, as it has no features in appearance and taste. But it is very easy to remember, because the place of growth is quite unusual.
