Category: edible.
Other names: cherry, willow, cherry, common clitopilus.
Latin name hanger (Clitopilus prunulus) literally translates to “little plum”. This is due to the fact that the color of young plums is completely similar to the color of this boletus mushroom.
The cherry also owes its name to the places of distribution – very often the mushroom and cherry settles under cherry and plum trees.
Below you can find a description and a photo of the bower, learn about its counterparts and use in cooking and traditional medicine.
Hat (diameter 5-13 cm): matte, white or grayish, darkens noticeably when pressed. Over time, it changes shape from hemispherical to flat or strongly depressed. The edges are usually turned up to the inside, and there is often a small bump in the center. Slightly hairy, slippery and sticky to the touch in rainy or damp weather, and smooth in dry weather.
Leg (height 3-9 cm): the same color as the cap, solid, often curved, cylindrical in shape and expanding from bottom to top. Covered with powdery coating or weak fluff.
Pay attention to the photo of the mushroom and cherries: its narrow plates change color as it grows. At first they are white or light yellow, then they become light pink.
Pulp: dense, white, very soft. It has a characteristic smell of fresh flour. Some mushroom pickers claim that the aroma of the boletus resembles cucumber.
Doppelgänger twins: waxy talkers (Clitocybe cerussata) and whitish talkers (Clitocybe dealbata). The nodule is distinguished by the absence of watery rings on the cap and the color of the plates in adult mushrooms. Outwardly, it is similar to the bitter seropod (Clitopilus mundulus), but its cap has concentric cracks, and the flesh is very bitter.
When growing: from early July to mid-October in temperate European countries.
Where can I find: on acidic and clayey soils of all types of forests, often found near birches and oaks. It can also grow near garden trees – plums or cherries.
Eating: in any form, subject to preliminary boiling for 15-20 minutes. It is not recommended to store unprocessed mushrooms for a long time.
Use in traditional medicine (data are not confirmed and have not been clinically tested!): in the form of an extract with a strong anticoagulant property.
Important! The cherry mushroom looks very similar to many deadly poisonous mushrooms, they can often be distinguished only in laboratory conditions, therefore it is not recommended to collect it for little experienced mushroom pickers.