Gebeloma

Hebelomas are hat-leg mushrooms belonging to the Strophariaceae family. Until recently, taxonomically, this genus of fungi was erroneously attributed to other families of fungi: cobwebs or bolbitiaceae.

This genus includes several species of mushrooms. At the same time, some hebelomas are conditionally edible or inedible, and some are poisonous. Experienced mushroom pickers, having discovered these mushrooms, do not pay attention to them, because they are of no practical importance.

These mushrooms grow everywhere: on the soil, on rotten wood, in the places of former bonfires. Fruiting in August-November.

Botanical description

Gebelomas belong to the hat mushrooms: their fruiting body consists of a cap and a leg. The cap is flat or hemispherical, with a smooth or scaly shell that is white or brown. The diameter of different types of these mushrooms ranges from 3 to 9 cm. On the underside of the cap there are adherent plates of light or brown color. The spore powder is colored with different shades of brown.

Cylindrical fibrous legs are located centrally in relation to the cap. Inside the leg can be hollow, and on top it is often covered with scales. On the stem closer to the cap, many representatives of mushrooms of this genus have a cobweb or membranous ring.

The pulp of the fungus is fleshy, elastic, white or brown in color, tastes bitter. On the cut, the pulp does not change its color and exudes a strong specific aroma, similar to the smell of a radish.

Species differences

The genus Gebeloma includes several dozen species. The most common of them on the territory of Russia are the types: sticky, mustard, root, inaccessible, belted and coal-loving.

Hebeloma sticky

Mushrooms of this species are the most common hebelomas in our country. Russian mushroom pickers call them “horseradish mushrooms” or false values, and in England they are called “fairy cake” or “poisoned pie”. They are classified as inedible, and in some literary sources – as poisonous mushrooms.

Hats of false valued are colored yellow-brown, sticky in young and dry in mature individuals. The size of the caps of some specimens reaches 10 cm. On the back of the caps in wet weather, moisture accumulates on the plates, which, after drying, gives them a patchy color. The flesh is light brown with a sharp rare smell and bitter taste.

Sticky mushrooms grow in groups on the edges, glades, along roads. Distributed throughout the European part of Russia, in the Far East, in Central Asia.

Gebeloma mustard

This is a poisonous species of Gebeloma. Their name comes from the fact that when ripe, the plates on the back of the hats acquire a mustard color.

Their hats have wavy edges. In size, they can reach 15 cm. The color of the caps varies from cream to brown-red, while the edges are colored lighter than the center. The spore powder has a bright orange color.

The legs are hollow inside, on a longitudinal section in their upper part one can see the connection between the cavities inside the cap and the leg. The legs are covered with scales in such a way that they create an annular pattern on them.

A favorite place for growing mustard gebelomas is coniferous and deciduous forests. They grow in large groups.

Hebeloma root (root-shaped)

These representatives of the genus Gebelom are conditionally edible: some cooks cook them together with edible mushrooms. The legs of root hebelomas are half immersed in the soil, creating a semblance of a root. Because of this feature, root mushrooms got their name.

Their hats are large (up to 15 cm in diameter), hemispherical in shape, and light brown in color. The surface of the cap is covered with darker scales, as a result of which it appears pockmarked. The plates are semi-grown, painted in different shades of gray and brown, while in young specimens they are lighter than in mature ones. The pulp is dense, light, has a bitter taste and almond smell.

They like to grow in deciduous forests, because they form mycorrhiza with deciduous trees. More often they can be found in places with bald topsoil: in pits, ditches, near holes.

Gebeloma inaccessible

It is a poisonous mushroom. It has a cap with a diameter of 4 to 8 cm with an impression in the center. The surface of the cap is slimy, reddish-brown, with a wavy edge. The plates are wide, with light edges. The pulp has a bitter taste and a pronounced smell of radish. The leg is covered with scales, thickened at the base.

They grow on moist soils of coniferous, deciduous and mixed forests, abandoned gardens, rarely visited corners of parks and squares. Ripen in August-September.

Hebeloma girdled

Mushrooms of this species got their name due to the pronounced brown belt on the stem. This girdle is formed by a private veil that envelops the cap and the upper part of the stem of young specimens, while in mature specimens it remains only in the form of a ring on the stem and fragments along the edge of the cap.

Girdled hebelomas are inedible, but not poisonous mushrooms. The sizes of mushrooms do not exceed 8-9 cm. Their hats come in different shapes: from conical to flat with a tubercle in the center. The surface of the caps is chestnut brown with light edges. The plates are colored pinkish-brown. The pulp is light brown, with the smell of radish.

The leg of the girdled hebeloma is straight or curved, expands towards the base, has white flesh on the cut, and brown at the base.

These fungi form mycorrhiza with various deciduous and coniferous trees, so they can often be found under trees.

Gebeloma coal-loving

These are poisonous mushrooms. It is called coal-loving because it grows on the sites of former fires and bonfires. These are small mushrooms, with a cap diameter of no more than 2 cm. Its shape changes as the mushroom matures from domed to flat. The surface of the cap is mucous to the touch, colored yellow. The plates are brown in color, and the spore powder is bright brown.

The leg is thin, thickened towards the base, covered with a light-red color. The flesh of the mushroom is white, without an unpleasant odor, but with a bitter taste.

mushroom danger

Despite the fact that not all types of Gebeloma are poisonous, experienced mushroom pickers and doctors do not recommend eating even their conditionally edible comrades. The explanation for such a negative attitude towards their use in cooking is simple. It lies in the fact that the differences between different types of hebels are very slight, so conditionally edible mushrooms are very easy to confuse with poisonous specimens. Therefore, in order to avoid acute poisoning with Gebel toxins, it is better to refuse to collect and eat them altogether.

Among the various species of these mushrooms, mustard hebeloma, inaccessible and coal-loving, can cause acute poisoning. As a rule, there is no lethal outcome when they are eaten by healthy people, however, acute digestive and cardiac disorders can be observed.

If the victim has severe diseases of the heart, gastrointestinal tract or kidneys, the use of poisonous gebelomas can provoke a significant deterioration in their health and lead to death as a result of acute failure of the affected organs.

Hebeloma poisoning

The severity of signs of poisoning with poisonous hebelomas depends on the initial state of health of the patient, the number of mushrooms eaten, and the use of alcohol, narcotic or potent drugs at the same time.

Poisoning of moderate severity is characterized by symptoms:

• nausea;
• vomiting;
• abdominal pain;
• with pride;
• an increase in body temperature to subfebrile numbers (reactive fever);
• dizziness;
• visual disturbances (loss of visual fields, decreased visual acuity);
• blanching of the skin with cyanosis of the lips and fingertips;
• heart palpitations or heart rhythm disturbances;
• drop in blood pressure;
• severe weakness.

If a small amount of Gebeloma is eaten, then the patient’s condition may improve on its own in 2-3 days.

In more severe cases, emergency medical care and hospitalization are necessary.

First aid first aid

If there is information about the consumption of mushrooms of unknown origin (self-collected, acquired in spontaneous markets), the appearance of the first signs of poisoning (nausea and vomiting) makes it possible to suspect that a person has been poisoned by poisonous mushrooms.

In order not to waste precious time, you must:

1. Call an ambulance immediately.
2. Provoke vomiting in the patient and wash his stomach.
3. Give to take any intestinal absorbent (activated charcoal, “Smektu”).
4. Make (if possible) the affected person a cleansing enema.
5. Save leftover mushrooms or food prepared from them.
6. If there are no residues, it is necessary to collect the patient’s vomit in a clean container or plastic bag.

No medications, except for absorbents, should be taken by the patient, because this can level the symptoms of poisoning, which will mislead doctors, worsen his condition or reduce the effectiveness of subsequent drug therapy.

Conclusions

Gebelomas are mushrooms that grow everywhere in our country. This genus of mushrooms is represented by many species, among which there are conditionally edible, inedible and poisonous specimens. Their species difference is insignificant, therefore, one should not rely on knowledge of the morphological features of different species.

During their collection, mushroom pickers need to be very careful. Unknown mushrooms or those of their representatives, the edibility of which is in doubt, is strictly prohibited.

Poisonous mushrooms contain neurotoxic toxic substances dangerous to human life.

The use of poisonous gobelomas can cause poisoning with the development of acute failure of various internal organs.

Therefore, if hebeloma poisoning is suspected, the victim should immediately be given first aid, which consists in washing the stomach and cleansing the intestines. The sooner primary care is provided to the patient, the better the prognosis.