Milky white conocybe: description and photo

Milky white conocybe is an agaric fungus of the Bolbitiaceae family. In mycology, it is known by several names: milk conocybe, Conocybe albipes, Conocybe apala, Conocybe lactea. The biological cycle of the fruiting body is no more than 24 hours. The species does not represent nutritional value, it is classified as inedible.

What do milky white conocybes look like?

Miniature mushroom with contrasting coloration. The upper part is light cream in color, the lamellar layer is dark brown with a reddish tint. The structure is very fragile, the fruiting body breaks at the slightest touch.

The growing season is short. During the day, mushrooms reach biological maturity and die. External characteristics of milky white conocybe:

1. At the beginning of growth, the hat is oval, pressed to the stem, after a few hours it opens to a dome-shaped shape, it does not happen to be prostrate.
2. The surface is even, dry, with radial longitudinal stripes. The central part has a conical point, one tone darker than the main color of the surface.
3. The edges of the cap are wavy, with easily identifiable attachment points for the plates.
4. The average diameter is 2 cm.
5. The inner part consists of free thin, narrow, sparsely spaced plates. At the beginning of growth, light brown, towards the end of the biological cycle, brick color.
6. The pulp is very thin, fragile, yellowish.
7. The leg is very thin – up to 5 cm long, about 2 mm thick. The same width at the base and cap. The structure is fibrous. At the scrap, it splits into several fragments in the form of a ribbon. The inner part is hollow, the coating is smooth to the top, finely scaly near the cap. The color is milky white, the same as the surface of the cap.

Where do milky white conocybes grow?

The species of saprotrophs can exist only on fertile, aerated, moist soils. Mushrooms grow singly or in small groups. They are found along the edges of irrigated fields, among low grass, along the banks of reservoirs, in swampy areas. Conocybe can be found in forests with different tree species, on the edges or open glades, in pastures, floodplain meadows. They appear after rainfall. They bear fruit from the beginning to the end of summer in the Central and Southern regions.

Is it possible to eat milky white conocybe

There is no information on toxicity. The small size and fragility of the fruit body makes the mushroom unattractive in gastronomic terms. The pulp is thin, tasteless and odorless, brittle. A one-day mushroom disintegrates from touch, it is simply impossible to harvest. Milky white conocybe belongs to the group of inedible species.

How to distinguish milky white conocybe

Outwardly, milky white is similar to conocybe gray dung beetle or coprinus.

Mushrooms are found only on fertile, light soils from late May to September. Begin to bear fruit after heavy rainfall. Distribution area – from the European part to the North Caucasus. They grow in dense numerous groups. Vegetation is also short, no more than two days. Conocybe and coprinus are similar in shape. Upon closer examination, the dung beetle is larger, the surface of the cap is finely scaly. The fruiting body is not so fragile and thicker. The main difference: the pulp and the spore-bearing layer are dark purple. The dung beetle is conditionally edible.

Bolbitus golden, like milky white conocybes, are one-day mushrooms.

Bolbitus is similar in size and shape of the fruiting body to conocybe. At the moment of maturity, the color of the cap turns pale and becomes beige. At the beginning of growth, it is a bright yellow mushroom; by the end of the biological cycle, the color remains only in the center of the cap. By nutritional value, the species are in the same group.

Conclusion

Milky white conocybe is a small nondescript mushroom that grows throughout the summer season. Fruits after rainfall, appears singly or in small groups. It occurs in the Central and Southern regions near water bodies, irrigated fields, in forest glades. The mushroom is not poisonous, but it does not represent nutritional value, therefore it is in the group of inedible.