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A bright beautiful mushroom from the Hygrophoraceae family – scarlet hygrocybe. The Latin name of the species is Hygrocybe coccinea, synonyms are hygrocybe crimson, red. Basidiomycete got its telling name due to the bright color of the entire surface.
What does alai hygrocibe look like
The fruit body consists of a small cap and a thin stem. They are painted purple. The plates are slightly different, have a yellow tint.
The hat of young specimens is bell-shaped. Over time, it becomes prostrate, a small depression appears in the center. Its diameter does not exceed 5 cm. The edges are thin, cracking in old fruiting bodies.
The color can have all shades of scarlet or orange, it depends on the place of growth, weather conditions, the age of a single specimen.
The skin covering the surface consists of small bubbles. The pulp of the upper part of the fruiting body is thin, orange with a yellow tinge. It has no pronounced taste and smell. When broken, the color does not change.
The plates are wide, thickened, can branch out, are rarely located. In old mushrooms, they grow with teeth to the stem. Their color repeats the color of the fruiting body.
Spores oblong, elongated, ovoid or ellipsoid, smooth. Spore powder white.
The leg does not grow more than 8 cm in length and 1 cm in diameter, it is thin, fibrous, whole, cylindrical in shape
In older mushrooms, as they grow, they can bend. On the sides, its shape is slightly compressed. The upper part is red, brightens towards the bottom, becomes yellow. Leg rings are missing.
Where does Hygrocybe Alai grow?
These crimson basidiomycetes are found in the humid forests of Europe and North America, in clearings densely overgrown with grass and well lit by sunlight. In Our Country, hygrocibe scarlet is rare, mainly in the European part of Our Country.
Scarlet caps can also be found in grasslands with poor soil, where other species do not survive. Fruiting occurs from July to September. Fruiting bodies grow in small clusters.
Is it possible to eat hygrocibe scarlet
The described species is conditionally edible, but does not have high taste qualities. The bright scarlet color often scares off lovers of quiet hunting, they believe that they have met a poisonous specimen. But hygrocybe scarlet can be collected and cooked. Usually it is boiled or fried.
False doubles
Many species of the Hygrophoraceae family are similar. Some of them are almost impossible to tell apart. Only an experienced mushroom picker can do this.
Hygrocybe crimson
Her hat is conical or bell-shaped, maroon. There is a small ledge in the center. The diameter of the cap exceeds the described counterpart several times and can grow up to 12 cm.
The leg of the twin is light, yellow and thick, the entire surface is dotted with grooves.
The flesh is thick and tough, has a strong, unpleasant odor.
Crimson hygrocibe is considered edible, mushroom pickers note its pleasant taste.
Hygrocybe oak
The mushroom has a conical elongated hat. In wet weather, its surface becomes slimy, sticky.
The color of the skin and flesh is yellow-orange
The leg is hollow, short, cylindrical in shape. Its color is light yellow, whitish spots sometimes appear.
The mushroom is not poisonous, but does not have a high nutritional value. The pulp does not have a pronounced aroma and taste.
Hygrocybe meadow
The mushroom has a convex, rounded dense hat. Apricot color with a red tint. The surface is oily, becomes dry and cracks over time.
Cylindrical leg, thick, short, tapering towards the bottom
The mushroom is edible, does not differ in high taste qualities. When cooking, it requires a long heat treatment.
Rules for collection and use
Hygrocybe scarlet begins to be collected from mid-summer. You can find it in meadows in tall thickets of grass.
The fruit body is small, not fleshy, in order to prepare a mushroom dish, you need to work hard in the collection process.
The scarlet basidiomycete is cleaned, washed, then boiled or fried.
Often a bright fruiting body is used as a decoration for homemade mushroom dishes. Alai hygrocibe looks especially beautiful in jars with pickled forest gifts.
Conclusion
Hygrocybe alai is a bright, beautiful mushroom that is rarely found in the forests of Our Country. It attracts lovers of quiet hunting not so much with its taste, but with its spectacular appearance. But you should not bypass the crimson fruiting bodies, they can be cooked with your favorite boletus or russula.