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The reddish talker is a poisonous mushroom, which is often confused with edible representatives of the same genus, or with mushrooms. Some mushroom pickers believe that the whitish and reddish govorushka are different mushrooms, but these are just synonyms. There are several names for the reddish: whitish, furrowed, bleached, discolored. The reddish talker belongs to the department Basidiomycetes (Basidiomycota), the family Ryadovkovye or Tricholomataceae, the genus Talker or Clitocybe (Clitocybe). There are more than 250 edible and poisonous representatives in the genus. About 60 species are known in Our Country, which are difficult to distinguish for novice mushroom pickers.
Where reddish talkers grow
The whitish talker (clitocybe dealbata) is distributed throughout the world, grows in deciduous, coniferous and mixed forests of Europe, North America, the European part of Our Country, Crimea, Western and Eastern Siberia, Primorye, China. It occurs in the grass in forest glades, in city parks, in industrial areas, in clearings and forest edges. Forms an alliance with the roots of trees, supplying them with minerals.
It grows actively from mid-July to November, creating groups in the form of even circles, which are called “witchy”. But this has nothing to do with magic, a poisonous whitish talker sprays spores in a circle. He likes an abundance of moss and fallen leaves, moist soil and sunny places.
What do whitish talkers look like
At first, scientists divided the whitish talker into 2 separate types:
- with a pinkish hat, plates of identical color and a short leg;
- with a gray hat and an elongated leg.
However, after several tests and observations of reddish, scientists came to the conclusion that the color changes with humidity and the degree of wetting of the fungus. Both species were merged into one.
The whitish talker is low. A thin cylindrical stem grows up to 2-4 cm. In small mushrooms, it is dense and elastic, becomes hollow with age and narrows to 0,8 cm in diameter. Darkens when pressed.
The hat of a reddish talker is medium or small in size, up to 4 cm in diameter, in young specimens the top is convex, with edges bent to the stem, with age it is more prostrate and depressed in the center. The edges of the cap of an adult furrowed talker of irregular shape, the color is snow-white, sometimes pinkish-brown in the center, less often buffy. Powdery coating, gray spots and cracks appear on the surface of the cap with age. When cut, the light flesh does not change color.
In young talkers, the plates are pinkish, as they grow they become white. In rainy weather, the hat is sticky and slippery, in dry and hot weather it is velvety.
The fleshy hat smells pleasantly of leaves, freshly cut wood or flour, but the smell, like the pronounced mushroom taste, is deceptive. It is advisable to familiarize yourself with the photo and description of the whitish talker in advance, so as not to confuse it with anything.
Is it possible to eat reddish talkers
After muscarine enters the human body, poisoning occurs within 15-20 minutes, but sometimes symptoms appear after several hours or even days. The poison of the whitish talker is resistant to heat treatment. Contrary to the opinion of some mushroom pickers, muscarine is not destroyed during prolonged cooking. Eating reddish mushrooms is life-threatening.
How to distinguish whitish talkers
It has been noticed that a furrowed talker in the dark can emit a faint emerald glow, but this sign will not help mushroom pickers to identify it during the day.
The danger of whitish in its similarity with edible mushrooms:
- meadow honey agaric with a beige or light brown hat, rare plates and almond aroma;
- bent talker (red) with a flesh-colored hat in the form of a funnel with a tubercle in the center and a thick stem;
- hangman with a white hat and pinkish plates, growing near trees;
- redhead, brighter than the reddish govorushka, but similar in coloring.
There are also poisonous counterparts:
- leafy talker, growing exclusively in the forest, characterized by large size;
- pale (white) grebe – the record holder for toxicity, differs in a skirt, but young grebes do not have it. It is enough to eat 1/3 of the hat for a fatal outcome, the whole family can be poisoned to death with a whole mushroom.
If there is any doubt about the edibility of the found mushroom, you do not need to take it to the basket.
Symptoms of poisoning
In a person who has been poisoned by reddish talkers, characteristic symptoms appear one after another:
- increased salivation and sweating;
- severe cramps in the stomach and intestines;
- diarrhea;
- vomiting;
- redness of the face;
- violation of the rhythm of the heartbeat;
- significant constriction of the pupils, clouding in the eyes;
- lowering blood pressure;
- bronchospasm and other respiratory disorders;
- convulsions.
Whitish talkers do not act with their poisonous composition on the central nervous system, however, they can cause severe disturbances in the work of the peripheral. As a result of a sharp contraction of the uterus and bladder, involuntary urination is possible, and in pregnant women there is a risk of miscarriage or premature birth.
Joint use with alcohol will aggravate the situation, which can lead to death.
Deaths from the use of the reddish talker are rare. Due to untimely seeking help from doctors, a person can die from dehydration, sudden cardiac arrest, kidney failure, bronchospasm. They are especially dangerous for people suffering from asthma and heart disease.
In a hospital, in case of mushroom poisoning with muscarine, an antidote is given – Atropine or other M-anticholinergics.
First aid for poisoning
Before the arrival of doctors, the victim must be given first aid:
- provide plenty of fluids (at least 2 liters of water);
- flush and induce vomiting in the victim. The procedure is carried out until all the liquid leaving the stomach reaches transparency;
- give activated charcoal or another sorbent agent (“Sorboxan”, “Enterosgel”, “Filtrum STI”);
- to stimulate the work of the heart, they give the poisoned “Validol” or “Corvalol”.
If there are no contraindications to taking Atropine, you can block the poison with this drug. Neutralizes the action of muscarine with only 0,1 g of the blocker. But doctors do not recommend giving any medications, especially antispasmodics and painkillers, so that specialists can correctly diagnose.
Conclusion
The reddish (whitish) talker annually causes poisoning. Edible specimens are confused with inedible and poisonous ones. It is better to refuse to collect unfamiliar mushrooms and not taste them.
