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Rhizopogon yellowish is a rare saprophyte fungus, a relative of raincoats. Belongs to the class Agaricomycetes, family Rhizopogonaceae, genus Rhizopogon. Another name for the fungus is the yellowish root, in Latin – Rhizopogon luteolus.
Where do yellowish rhizopogons grow
Rhizopogon luteolus is found throughout the temperate and northern latitudes of Eurasia. It grows in small groups mainly in pine forests on sandy and subsandy soils. Forms mycorrhiza with coniferous trees, most often with pines. Can be found in wooded summer cottages and parks. Likes loose soils with a high nitrogen content. The fruiting body of the fungus is almost completely hidden underground or under a layer of fallen leaves, so it is not easy to find it.
What do yellowish rhizopogons look like
Rhizopogon luteolus has a rather strange appearance for a fungus. He is missing a hat and a leg. The division of the fruiting body into upper and lower parts is very conditional. Outwardly, it resembles a tuber of a young potato. Has a size of 1 to 5 cm.
Young specimens are whitish-olive or light brown in color, mature ones are brown or brown. The surface of the fruiting body is dry. As it grows, its skin gradually cracks. The fruit body is entangled with gray-black threads of mycelium. Mature specimens have a pronounced garlic smell.
The pulp of the rhizopogon is dense and fleshy, whitish-yellow in color, thanks to which the mushroom got its name. As the spores ripen and disperse in the pulp, it gradually changes color to yellow-olive, greenish, greenish-brown and almost black in the old specimen.
Spores ellipsoid, slightly asymmetrical, shiny, smooth, transparent. The spore size is approximately 8 x 3 microns.
Is it possible to eat yellowish rhizopogons
Rhizopogon is an edible species, but it is rarely eaten.
Taste qualities of the mushroom rhizopogon yellowish
Rhizopogon luteolus has low palatability. Even though it is considered edible.
Fried rhizopogon tastes like a raincoat.
Benefits and harm to the body
Rhizopogon luteolus belongs to the fourth taste category. The composition contains nutrients, but if used and prepared incorrectly, it is dangerous and can harm the body.
False doubles
The yellowish rhizopogon is similar in appearance to its relative, the pinkish rhizopogon (Rhizopogon roseolus), another name for which is the blushing truffle or the pinking truffle. This mushroom has a yellowish skin, if it is broken or cut, the flesh turns pink in this place. The fruit body of the pinking truffle has a tuberous or irregular rounded shape. Most of it is underground. The wall of the fruiting body is whitish or yellowish, becoming pinkish when pressed. The pinkish rhizopogon is edible, suitable for eating only at a young age.
Another relative of the yellowish rhizopogon is the common rhizopogon (Rhizopogon vulgaris). Its fruiting body is shaped like a raw potato tuber up to 5 cm in diameter. It is partially or completely hidden in the ground. The skin of a young mushroom is velvety, in a mature one it becomes smooth and slightly cracked. Grows in spruce and pine forests, sometimes found in deciduous. Harvesting season is from June to October. Never grows alone.
The yellowish rhizopogon bears resemblance to Melanogaster dubious (Melanogaster ambiguus). It is a very rare edible mushroom that grows singly in broadleaf forests from May to October. Young specimens have a felty, rough surface of a brownish-grayish color. In the process of growth, the surface of the fruiting body darkens, becoming almost black, and becomes smooth. The flesh of the mushroom is purple-black, thick, fleshy, with a slight smell of garlic. Taste is low.
Collection rules
The harvest season is from July to September. Rhizopogon luteolus is best harvested at the end of the season when it produces the largest yields.
Use
For eating, it is necessary to choose young specimens with a pleasant creamy-colored pulp (old dark mushrooms cannot be used).
They must first be washed under running water, carefully rubbing each copy to remove the garlic taste and smell, then peel the thin skin.
Rhizopogon luteolus is prepared in the same way as puffballs, which are their closest relatives. All types of cooking are suitable for cooking – boiling, frying, stewing, baking, but they are tastiest when fried.
Conclusion
Rhizopogon yellowish – a little-known species even among mushroom pickers. It is easy to confuse it with white truffle, which is what scammers use, selling it at a high price.
