Polypore umbrella (Polyporus umbellatus)
- Division: Basidiomycota (Basidiomycetes)
- Subdivision: Agaricomycotina (Agaricomycetes)
- Class: Agaricomycetes (Agaricomycetes)
- Subclass: Incertae sedis (of uncertain position)
- Order: Polyporales (Polypore)
- Family: Polyporaceae (Polyporaceae)
- Genus: Polyporus
- Type: Polyporus umbellatus (Umbrella fungus)
- Grifola branched
- Polypore branched
- Polypore branched
- Polypore umbrella
- Grifola umbrella
The tinder fungus is an original bushy mushroom. The tinder fungus belongs to the polypore family. The fungus is found in the European part of Our Country, in Siberia and even in the Polar Urals, it was found in North America, as well as in the forests of Western Europe.
Fruiting body – numerous legs, which are connected at the bottom into one base, and hats.
head the mushroom has a slightly wavy surface, in the center there is a small depression. Some specimens have small scales on the surface of the cap. A group of mushrooms forms one settlement, in which there can be up to 200 or more individual specimens.
Numerous tubules are located on the lower part of the cap, the pores of which reach sizes up to 1-1,5 mm.
Pulp the tinder fungus has an umbrella white color, has a very pleasant smell (you can feel the aroma of dill).
Cylindrical leg the mushroom is divided into several branches, at the top of each is a hat. The legs are soft and very thin. Usually the legs of the mushrooms are combined into a single base.
Споры are white or cream in color and cylindrical in shape. The hymenophore is tubular, like all tinder fungi, descending far along the stem. The tubes are small, short, white.
The umbrella fungus usually grows at the bases of deciduous trees, prefers maple, linden, oaks. Rarely seen. Season: July – early November. The peak is in August-September.
Favorite places for griffins are tree roots (prefers oak, maple), fallen trees, stumps, and rotting forest floor.
It is a saprotroph.
Similar to the umbrella polypore is the leafy tinder fungus or, as it is also called by the people, the ram mushroom. But the latter has lateral legs, and the hat is also fan-shaped.
Grifola umbrella belongs to rare species of polyporous fungi. Listed in The Red Book. Protection is required, as populations are disappearing (deforestation, logging).
It is an edible mushroom with good taste. The pulp of the mushroom is very soft, tender, has a pleasant taste (but only in young mushrooms). Old mushrooms (finally ripe) have a burning and not very pleasant smell.