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Hemp mushrooms have many varieties and forms of growth. The most famous and very useful of them are mushrooms on stumps. The multiple reasons for their popularity among amateurs and professional mushroom pickers include the rare taste qualities that only this mushroom possesses, and the ease of harvesting, because it grows in multiple colonies around stumps. According to most professional chefs, any mushroom is edible, but this is not entirely true.
What trees grow mushrooms
Regardless of edibility and growing season, hemp mushrooms appear on both dead and living trees. In particular, they breed on rotten or damaged wood. However, mountain regions are characterized by the appearance of honey mushrooms on coniferous species: spruce, cedar, pine and larch. Such mushrooms are distinguished during tasting by a bitter aftertaste and a dark-colored leg, which does not affect their nutritional value in any way. Summer varieties from forest areas grow up to 7 cm in height with a stem diameter of 1 cm. Usually the stem has a steep velum and is covered with small scales.
Photos of mushrooms on trees that have suffered a disease, mechanical damage:
What do hemp mushrooms look like
It is difficult to confuse such mushrooms with other mycelium, because they have characteristic distinctive features. Poisonous analogues are also distinguished by some signs, so it is almost impossible to get poisoned by mushrooms. It is worth noting that inedible hemp mushrooms are defined by a low level of toxicity, which makes them dangerous with a low degree of poisoning. Basically, autumn honey agaric parasitizes trees and infects over 200 species per year. Fungal colonies can be recognized by the ringed growth around the stump. Single specimens are extremely rare.
Autumn mushroom grows only a few months on the stumps of felled birches. The people received several names: autumn, real honey agaric, Assumption mushroom. It occurs on swampy birch forests, where there are a lot of rotten trees and stumps. In coniferous areas, honey mushrooms are rarely found, although you can find their clusters near an old spruce. Winter stump mycelium grows at the base of any felled tree on the north side, in marshland.
Photo and description of hemp mushrooms
Like any forest mushroom, honey agaric has several false counterparts that you need to be able to identify by appearance. With such knowledge, the risk of poisoning by the harvest is eliminated. Each species grows under certain weather conditions. Also, external characteristics have their own characteristics, which does not allow confusing an edible mushroom with a poisonous one.
False hemp mushrooms
Preferably inedible mushrooms grow on rotten stumps that were affected by root rot, cancer or earth insects during life. In appearance, the fruiting body can be distinguished by a bright hat, which has a delicate pinkish or yellowish-brown tint. The most dangerous are always bright brown or orange, with the exception of the color is sulfur-yellow honey agarics. The surface of the cap is smooth, without scales. The mushroom is slippery to the touch, stickiness appears after rain. There is no steep velum under the cap, spore plates quickly acquire a dirty olive, green or blue hue. I advise mushroom pickers to first feel the aroma of mycelium, and if there is a smell of earth, mold, then the mycelium is poisonous. These include:
- Poppy false honeycomb. It looks and tastes like a summer mushroom. It can be recognized by the bright orange stem, which becomes yellow closer to the cap. The height of the mycelium reaches 8-10 cm, gray plates adhere to the leg.
- brick red. It is considered conditionally edible, when tasting it is very bitter. The hat is large with a red-brown color, grows up to 10 cm in diameter. When cut, the stem of the fungus is hollow.
- sulfur yellow. A mushroom with a small pale yellow cap and a high stem – 10-12 cm. It has a sharp and unpleasant odor. It grows in numerous colonies on forest stumps. Young mycelium grows in the form of a bell.
Edible hemp mushrooms
By nature, mushrooms feed on the remains of stumps that have not been infected with a serious disease. Edible mycelium is characterized by its appearance – a thin stalk with a film ring from the middle of the mushroom. The color of the pulp of honey agaric depends on the area where the stump grows. Colonies growing near poplar have a copper-yellow tint, those of coniferous tree stumps are reddish or brown, those of oak or elderberry are brown, gray. Healthy plates are always cream or yellowish-white. Mushrooms are endowed with a barely noticeable aroma of cloves and a sweet and sour aftertaste. They grow in the same forests as inedible twins, can cohabit on stumps in the neighborhood, which does not affect the quality of real mushrooms.
It is customary to call harmless mushrooms autumn, winter, summer and meadow varieties of mycelium. The former have a characteristic and memorable hat, the surface of which is covered with small scales. The fruit body has a pleasant mushroom aroma, the consistency of the legs is light yellow, fibrous. The autumn season of hemp mushrooms begins from the end of August and lasts until mid-October. Summer and meadow ones are very similar in appearance: medium-sized mycelium with a cap diameter of 5 cm and a stem height of up to 10 cm, found in meadows and forests. The only difference is that meadow grasses do not grow on stumps, their family appears in the form of a circle in small clusters.
A bright representative of winter mushrooms appears with the onset of the winter thaw on old stumps of poplars or willows. The legs of the mushrooms are hollow, velvety to the touch. The fruit body grows up to 8 cm in height and 3-4 cm in diameter. Hat with a glossy sheen has an ocher-brown color. The leg is hollow, the pulp is not bitter, gives off a pleasant smell. Spore plates are always light brown or cream.
Why honey agarics settle on stumps
Since mushrooms belong to the class of parasitic fungi, it is logical to assume that a stump affected by the disease is a favorable habitat for them. Mushrooms found on a tree trunk characterize the presence of an infection that has already penetrated deep into the trunk. Mycelium does not grow immediately, but with its appearance, accelerated destruction of wood occurs. First, saprophytes develop, then basid fruiting bodies appear. They convert the habitat from acidic to alkaline, after which hat mushrooms grow and the tree completely loses its shape. Therefore, honey mushrooms grow on a stump for only a few years, then the habitat loses its value. Also, the stump of a dead tree is rich in cellulose, which feeds on the mycelium. This variety of parasitic fungi can be called the orderly of the forest, because thanks to their growth and reproduction, young trees remain healthy.
How mushrooms begin to grow on a stump
When a tree receives mechanical damage or becomes infected with a disease, a gradual process of dying off of the bark and other parts of the trunk begins. Each species of honey agaric has its own habitat preferences. False fungus develops only on deadwood of conifers, edible specimens can be found almost anywhere in a certain season. Mycelium growth begins with spores entering the site of injury. Next comes the development of imperfect microorganisms that feed on residual living cells. They then progress into the basid mycelium. The habitat is acidified, intermediate decay products are used as food. As soon as the supply of cellulose is running out, other types of parasitic fungi appear that break down protein and fiber. At the stage of loss of shape and integrity, the tree becomes rotten, overgrown with moss and other microorganisms, which ultimately leads to the beginning of the development of mushrooms. They mineralize organic cells, thereby surviving on the dead stump.
How many days do hemp mushrooms grow
Mycelial growth and its speed depend on factors such as habitat temperature, humidity, and the presence of beneficial organisms. Favorable air temperature for the germination of fruiting bodies is from + 14 to + 25 ° С. It is worth noting that this is a suitable climate for meadow mushrooms. For varieties of autumn, winter and spring mushrooms that grow on stumps, + 3 ° C is enough to start the development of spores. Under such conditions, fruiting bodies germinate in 2-3 days. If the temperature reaches + 28 ° C, then the processes stop. When there is good soil moisture in the range of 50-60% and an acceptable temperature, the mushrooms actively grow, bear fruit several times during the season. The pace of the leg may stop for 24 hours if worms or insects are present in the soil. Full maturation occurs in 5-6 days.
After the autumn rain, you can move out for honey mushrooms for 2-3 days. It is also worth considering the September and October fogs. After their retreat, you can notice an increase in the yield on the stumps. Autumn species can be found in November, if the temperature was positive. Here, the catalyst for growth is moisture, which is often not enough for mushrooms. As for winter varieties, they can retard growth at the time of frost and continue it when the air temperature reaches 0 or + 7 ° C.
Where to collect hemp mushrooms
On the territory of Our Country, there are many climatic zones where you can find colonies of mycelium of any variety. Again, the arrangement of families depends on convenience and favorable conditions. Autumn species grow on coniferous wood, fallen trees, are common in fully coniferous and mixed forests. Summer and spring hemp mushrooms mainly grow in deciduous forests. They can often be found on tree trunks: oak, birch, acacia, poplar, ash or maple. Winter mushrooms prefer oak stumps, on which it is beneficial to breed due to the nutritional value of the wood.
When to collect stump mushrooms
The harvest season depends on the climatic factor in a particular area. For spring mushrooms, you can go hunting from April to May. Along with edible specimens, false mushrooms can be found growing on trees similar to honey mushrooms. The summer harvest is in July and August. Then autumn species begin to grow actively, from about the end of August to the beginning of November. Winter ones are rare, but if you go in search of mycelium in November or December, you can collect 1-2 layers of fruiting bodies.
Conclusion
Mushrooms on stumps are found by mushroom pickers more often than other, more valuable varieties. They have a memorable aroma and appearance, so it is almost impossible to confuse them with poisonous counterparts. Mushrooms are rich in vitamins and macronutrients, which are rarely found in nature’s products in such quantities. It is worth remembering that without the knowledge of false twins, the mushroom picker must carefully conduct a quiet hunt.
