Contents
Calocera sticky, or deer horns, is a conditionally edible mushroom of low quality. Belongs to the Dikramitsev family and grows on a dry, rotten woody substrate. In cooking, it is used as a decoration for cold and meat dishes, but only after heat treatment. This specimen has inedible twins, therefore, in order not to harm your body, you need to study the external description, view photos and videos.
What do sticky calocera look like?
This representative of the forest kingdom can be recognized by the unusual shape of the fruiting body and by its bright color. The fungus forms a small, slightly branched bush in the form of a coral, up to 8 cm high. The mucous surface has an orange or dark lemon tint. The pulp is elastic, gelatinous, without taste and aroma. Reproduction occurs by microscopic spores, which are located throughout the fruiting body.
Where do sticky calocera grow?
The forest dweller prefers to grow on a rotten coniferous substrate, singly or in small families. It comes into fruiting from July to October, distributed throughout Our Country.
Is it possible to eat sticky calocera
Due to the lack of taste and aroma, and also because of the rubbery, gelatinous pulp, this specimen has not been widely used in cooking. For food purposes, it is collected very rarely, the harvested crop can be boiled, fried and dried. And thanks to the gelatinous pulp, many housewives add it to the jelly until it hardens. But most mushroom pickers prefer not to collect it, but only photograph it.
Despite the dubious taste, the mushroom is used in folk medicine in many countries.
How to distinguish sticky calocera
This forest dweller, like any representative of the mushroom kingdom, has twins:
- Horny – the mushroom is inedible, but not toxic. It can be found in all forests, prefers moist coniferous, less often deciduous tree litter. It starts fruiting from the end of summer until the first frost. You can recognize it by its bright orange color and club-shaped or horn-shaped shape. Since the pulp is tasteless and odorless, it is rarely used in cooking.
- Dacrimyces vanishing – a small drop-shaped or spherical mushroom of bright orange color. The fruit body is red or yellow, gelatinous, odorless and tasteless. It occurs from June until the first frost, prefers rotten coniferous wood. This species is considered inedible and can cause mild food poisoning if eaten.
Conclusion
Kalocera sticky is a conditionally edible species common in coniferous forests. It begins fruiting from the end of summer until the first frost. This representative has no nutritional value, but due to the bright color and great resemblance to corals, this species is better to admire than eat.