Panellus soft (Panellus mitis) photo and description

Soft panel (Panellus mitis)

• Panellus tender
• Oyster mushroom soft
• Oyster mushroom tender

• pannelus tender

Soft panellus (Panellus mitis) is a fungus belonging to the Tricholomov family.

Soft panellus (Panellus mitis) is a fruiting body consisting of a stem and a cap. It is characterized by thin, whitish and rather dense pulp, which is saturated with a large amount of moisture. The color of the pulp of this fungus is whitish, has a characteristic sparse aroma.

The diameter of the cap of the described mushroom is 1-2 cm. Initially, it is kidney-shaped, but in mature mushrooms it becomes convex, rounded, grows sideways to the rest of the fruiting body, has a slightly jagged edge (which can be lowered down). In young mushrooms of soft panellus, the surface of the cap is sticky, covered with clearly visible villi. The cap is pinkish-brown at the base and whitish overall. Along the edges, the cap of the described mushroom is whitish due to a fleecy or wax coating.

The hymenophore of the soft panellus is represented by a lamellar type. Its constituent components are plates located at an average frequency with respect to each other. Sometimes the hymenophore plates in this fungus can be forked, often they adhere to the surface of the fruiting body. Often they are thick, fawn or whitish in color. The spore powder of the tender panellus is characterized by a white color.

The stem of the fungus described is often short, 0.2-0.5 cm long and 0.3-0.4 cm in diameter. Near the plates, the leg often expands, has a whitish or whitish tint, and a coating in the form of tiny grains is noticeable on its surface.

Soft panellus actively fructifies from the end of summer (August) until the end of autumn (November). The habitat of this fungus is mainly mixed and coniferous forests. Fruiting bodies grow on fallen tree trunks, fallen branches of coniferous and deciduous trees. Basically, soft panel grows on fallen branches of fir, pine, and spruce.

Many mushroom pickers cannot say for sure whether the Panellus soft mushroom is poisonous. Almost nothing is known about its edibility and taste properties, but this does not prevent some from classifying it as inedible.

Panellus soft in appearance is very similar to other mushrooms from the Tricholomov family. It can be easily confused with another inedible panellus called astringent. The fruit bodies of the astringent panellus are yellow-ochre, sometimes yellow-clay. Such mushrooms have a bitter taste, and you can see them more often on the wood of deciduous trees. Mostly astringent panellus grows on oak wood.