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The cap basidiomycete from the numerous Svinushkovye family is the bluish gyrodon. In scientific sources, you can also find another name for the mushroom – podolshanik, or Latin – Gyrodon lividus. As the name implies, the fungus prefers to grow near deciduous trees, mainly under alder.
What does a bluish gyrodon look like
The cap of a young basidiomycete is semicircular in shape. Over time, it becomes pillow-shaped, slightly depressed in the center. Its diameter can vary from 3 to 15 cm.
The edges of the cap are thinned, slightly tucked up, later becoming wavy
The surface of the fungus is dry, velvety, becoming smooth over time. With increased humidity, the skin of the bluish Gyrodon becomes sticky.
The color of the cap of a young specimen is sandy, olive, light. In the old fruiting body, it becomes rusty-brown, yellow, dark.
The reverse side of the cap is covered with a thin layer of hymenophore, which is formed from thin and short tubules descending onto the stem and adhering to it. They form large labyrinthine pores, first golden and then dark olive in color. If you press on the surface of the hymenophore, it will turn blue or green, and eventually turn completely brown.
The leg grows cylindrical in shape, thinner at the base, its location is central. At first it is smooth, but over time it curves and becomes thinner. Its length does not exceed 9 cm, and its thickness is 2 cm.
In young specimens, the leg is covered with powdery coating, becoming completely smooth over time. Its color is always identical to the color of the hat, but it can also be a little lighter.
The upper part of the stem is uniformly yellow, this is due to the descending hymenophore
The spongy, friable, fleshy flesh of the glaucous gyrodon’s cap is almost always pale and yellow. On the leg, it is darker and tougher, more fibrous. If you cut it, it will turn brown, later it will turn dark blue. Smell and taste are not expressed.
The spores are ellipsoid in shape, can be rounded, rather wide, with a slight yellow tinge. Their size is from 5 to 6 microns.
Where does the bluish gyrodon grow
The fungus grows in deciduous forests throughout Europe, rarely in Western Our Country, and is also found in Israel. Listed in the Red Book in some countries.
This basidiomycete often forms mycorrhiza with alder, but can also be found near other deciduous crops.
Gyrodon bluish grows in groups on well-moistened soil, destroyed stumps, and can also form in sandy loamy soils, mosses.
Is it possible to eat gyrodon bluish
The mushroom is edible, does not contain toxic substances, and does not pose a danger to human health. Young basidiomycetes have a good taste, over time, the nutritional value and palatability are sharply reduced. The pulp of the glaucous gyrodon does not have a pronounced taste or aroma.
False doubles
The mushroom has a spongy hymenophore structure characteristic only for it and its olive color. These features clearly distinguish the glaucous Gyrodon from other representatives of the forest. Poisonous twins were not found in a representative of the Svinushkovy family.
But there is an edible fellow – Gyrodon merulius. These species are completely identical.
There are only two differences: a darker color of the fruiting body and a mustard spongy hymenophore.
Collection rules
Mushroom picking starts in mid-summer or early September. Gyrodon bluish appears with the advent of autumn, bears fruit until the first frost.
You can find it in a forest dominated by deciduous trees, mostly alder. It is not worth delaying the collection, because the most delicious specimens are young, not overripe. You can distinguish them by a light, smooth hat; in old mushrooms, it becomes dark, rusty in color.
It is impossible to collect boletus near roads and industrial enterprises; all mushrooms absorb salts of heavy metals from polluted air well.
Use
Gyrodon bluish after harvest must be processed in the next few hours, as its pulp quickly loses its shape, oxidizes. The fruit body is washed under running water, cleaned of dirt, adhering leaves, sand and moss residues.
Then the mushroom is boiled for half an hour in salted water, the brine is drained, the procedure is repeated. Next, the boiled bluish gyrodon is prepared to taste.
This mushroom is not suitable for harvesting, drying, pickling, salting. Its flesh is quickly destroyed, when damaged it becomes an ugly blue color.
Conclusion
Gyrodon bluish is a cap mushroom that is rarely found in the forest. The species is classified as endangered. The podolska does not represent nutritional value, but its collection is not prohibited – the fruiting body does not contain substances hazardous to humans. Presumably, this basidiomycete belongs to the 4th category of nutritional value.