Contents
Panellus soft belongs to the Tricholomov family. He likes to settle on coniferous trees, forming entire colonies on them. This small cap mushroom is distinguished by its delicate pulp, which is how it got its name.
A distinctive feature of the species is that it settles in colonies on the trunks of coniferous trees.
What does panellus soft look like?
The fungus has a fruiting body (leg and cap). Its flesh is moderately dense. It is whitish in color, very moist and thin.
Mushroom is small
Cap Description
The hat is quite small, from 1 to 2 cm, occasionally found with a diameter of about 3 cm. At first, it looks more like a kidney in outline, then, as it grows, it acquires a rounded and convex shape. Has slightly serrated edges. The cap grows sideways to the rest of the fruiting body. In young specimens, it is sticky and fleecy to the touch. At the base, its color is pink with a brown tint, the main part is white. The fungus is lamellar, the elements are quite thick, whitish or fawn in color, there are forked.
Description of the leg
The stalk of soft tender panellus is very short, always lateral, and does not exceed 5 mm in length. Its average diameter is 3-4 mm. Near the plates (top) the stem is slightly wider. Its entire surface is covered with a coating of small particles resembling cereals. Leg color is white. It is fibrous in structure.
Where and how to grow
The main period of fruiting is autumn, rarely appears at the end of August. Prefers coniferous and mixed forest zones. It covers the trunks of fallen trees, fallen branches. Most of all, soft panellus settles on coniferous remains – fir, spruce, pine.
Is the mushroom edible or not?
Panellus soft has a characteristic pronounced aroma, reminiscent of radish. There is no definite opinion about its edibility. Officially, soft panellus belongs to the inedible category, although there is no evidence of its toxicity.
Twins and their differences
Panellus soft has many twins among representatives of the Tricholomov family. Most similar to it is an inedible mushroom – astringent panellus. It differs in that it has a yellow color of varying intensity (similar to clay, ocher). Panellus astringent is very bitter in taste, astringent, it usually grows not on coniferous trees, but on oak. This is the main characteristic by which it is distinguished by novice mushroom pickers. Also, Panellus astringent, unlike soft, can glow in the dark. It contains a special pigment capable of bioluminescence, glowing green.
Also a double is the autumn oyster mushroom, a conditionally edible mushroom. The size of her hat does not exceed 5 cm, sometimes without a leg. But it has a darker, gray color, slightly slippery to the touch. There are specimens of a greenish or brown hue. Autumn oyster mushroom does not settle on coniferous trees, prefers deciduous trees (birch, maple, aspen, poplar).
Conclusion
Penellus soft is a typical representative of its family. Small white caps that cover the trunks of fallen coniferous trees do not attract the attention of lovers of quiet hunting too much. The fungus is considered neither toxic nor edible. Therefore, mushroom pickers do not attach much importance to it, bypassing it in search of delicious specimens.