Mucous flake (Pholiota lubrica)
- Division: Basidiomycota (Basidiomycetes)
- Subdivision: Agaricomycotina (Agaricomycetes)
- Class: Agaricomycetes (Agaricomycetes)
- Subclass: Agaricomycetidae (Agaricomycetes)
- Order: Agaricales (Agaric or Lamellar)
- Family: Strophariaceae (Strophariaceae)
- Genus: Pholiota (Scaly)
- Type: Pholiota lubrica (Scaly mucosa)
Cap: In young mushrooms, the cap is hemispherical or bell-shaped, closed. With age, the cap gradually unfolds and becomes prostrate, slightly concave. In mature mushrooms, the edges of the cap are unevenly raised. The surface of the cap has a bright brown or yellow color. In the central part is usually a darker shade. A very slimy hat is covered with light scales. In the lower part of the hat, fragments of a fibrous-membrane cover are visible, which can be washed away by rain. The diameter of the cap is from five to ten cm. In dry weather, the surface of the cap is dry, in rainy weather it is shiny and mucous-sticky.
Pulp: the pulp of the mushroom is quite thick, has a yellowish color, an indefinite smell and a bitter taste.
Plates: weakly adherent with a tooth, frequent plates are first hidden by a light membranous coverlet, dense and thick. Then the plates open and acquire a yellowish-green color, sometimes brown spots can be observed on the plates.
Spore powder: olive brown.
Stem: cylindrical stem about one cm in diameter. The length of the stem reaches ten cm. The stem is very often curved. Inside the leg is cotton-like, then it becomes almost hollow. There is a ring on the leg that disappears very quickly. The lower part of the leg, under the ring, is covered with small scales. The surface of the leg has a yellowish or whitish color. At the base, the stem is darker, rusty-brown.
Distribution: Slimy flake occurs on heavily rotted wood. Fruiting from August to October. It grows on soil near rotten trees, around stumps, and so on.
Similarity: the mucous flake is larger, and this mushroom differs from nondescript small representatives of the scaly genus growing in similar conditions. Uninformed mushroom pickers may mistake Pholiota lubrica for a soiling cobweb, but this fungus differs in plates and growing conditions.
Edibility: Nothing is known about the edibility of the mushroom, but many believe that the mushroom is not only edible, but also quite tasty.