Ringed cap: description and photo

The ringed cap is the only representative of the genus Rosites, the Spider family, growing in Europe. An edible mushroom is found in the forests of mountainous and foothill areas. The fruit body has a good taste and smell, it is versatile in processing. The mushroom has several names: Rosites dull, white bog. Among the people in each locality, the species has its own name: chicken, swamp, Turk.

What do caps look like?

The mushroom got its name from the appearance of the fruiting body. The upper part resembles a dome, on the leg there is a ring from the place where the bedspread was attached.

The ringed cap is an unattractive mushroom, if you don’t know the species, it is mistaken for a toadstool. Occurs infrequently.

The external characteristic of the ringed cap is as follows:

1. At the time of the formation of the fruiting body, the cap is ovoid, the edges are concave, connected to the stem by a veil. The surface is purple in color, there is a slight wax coating.
2. As it grows, the veil breaks, leaving torn fragments of various shapes, the hat opens, becoming prostrate. The surface becomes smooth, with low air humidity wrinkles appear in the central part, the edges crack. The upper part is covered with a cobweb-like, fibrous film.
3. The color of adult specimens is yellow, ocher or light brown. The hat grows up to 10 cm in diameter.
4. Plates are rarely located, large, sagging edges with blunt teeth. At the beginning of growth, white, with time – dark yellow.
5. Spore powder is dark brown.
6. The pulp is loose, light yellow, soft, watery with a good taste and a pleasant mushroom smell.
7. The leg is cylindrical in shape, tapering upwards. The structure is fibrous, rigid in adult specimens. The leg is solid, up to 10-15 cm long. Near the cap there is a tight-fitting ring with the remains of a bedspread, the surface is 1/3 of the mycelium covered with small flakes. The color is monochromatic, the same as the bottom of the hat.

The ringed cap contains a high concentration of protein, tastes like poultry meat, in European restaurants the mushroom is served as a delicacy.

Where do ringed caps grow

The main area of ​​distribution of annular caps is mountain forests. In foothill areas located at least 2500 m above sea level, mushrooms are found in mixed forests. Ringed caps can exist only in symbiosis with tree species. More often these are coniferous trees, less often – deciduous: beech, undersized birch, oak. In Our Country, the main distribution of the ringed cap is noted in the Western and Central parts.

The species begins to form fruiting bodies in the middle of summer after heavy rainfall. The collection ends around the second decade of October. Mushrooms grow mostly singly. They are found on moss or leaf cushions, in the shade of perennial trees or in blueberry thickets. Biological development of annular caps requires high humidity and acidic soil.

Is it possible to eat ringed caps

The ringed cap belongs to the third category of edible mushrooms. The taste of the fruiting body is pronounced, the smell is spicy, well defined. The composition does not contain toxins, so mushrooms do not require additional processing before use. In old specimens, the pulp is hard, it is not used for culinary purposes.

Taste qualities of the fungus annular cap

The cap is ringed in taste is not inferior to champignon, which has a high nutritional value. The pulp of the fruiting body after cooking resembles chicken, this feature is reflected in the popular name – “chicken”. After cooking, the product does not lose its spicy smell. The ringed cap is tasty with any processing method.

False doubles

Looks like a ringed cap cobweb white-purple.

This is a conditionally edible species with low gastronomic quality. It differs in the bluish color of adult specimens, young mushrooms are very similar in appearance. The double does not have a ring on the fruit stem.

Vole stopovidnaya – an inedible mushroom of a smaller size, with a fragile structure of the fruiting body.

It can grow in a bunch, which is not typical for Rosites dim. The leg is thin, elongated, without a ring, covered with a light coating. The surface of the cap is sticky, dark yellow. The pulp is brittle, flabby, with an unpleasant mealy smell.

Polevik – a hard mushroom that does not have toxins in its chemical composition, but with a repulsive pungent odor that remains after processing.

For culinary purposes, a double is not used. It is distinguished by the presence of a cobweb veil along the edge of the cap and the absence of a ring on the stem.

Fibrous Patuillard – a deadly poisonous mushroom.

At first glance, the species are similar, upon closer examination, the poisonous twin has a number of differences from the annular cap:

• the presence of a reddish tint on the fruiting body;
• the place of the cut is immediately painted in maroon color;
• on the leg there are longitudinal small grooves;
• the ring is missing;
• the plates are covered with a white coating in the form of fluff.

Differences in all twins are individual, they are united by the only sign – the absence of a dense ring.

Collection rules

With regard to the ringed cap, the main rule when collecting: do not confuse with similar poisonous counterparts. It is better to carry out the first collection under the supervision of experienced mushroom pickers who know the species well. Particular attention is paid to the moss litter near the pines and spruces. In a mixed forest, mushrooms grow in the shade, on damp rotten leaves under stunted birch trees, less often oaks. They do not harvest in ecologically problematic areas, near industrial enterprises.

Use

Mushroom caps are suitable for any recipe for processing. The fruiting bodies are washed well, the stem is cut off at the base, preliminary boiling and soaking is not required. Rosites dim is used to prepare any dishes that include mushrooms. Fruit bodies are ideal for pickling, salting. Ringed caps are tasty in pickled and dried form.

Conclusion

Ringed cap – an edible species with thick fragrant pulp. Universal in processing, suitable for any type of winter harvesting. Grows from mid-summer to October near coniferous and deciduous trees. It has poisonous doubles, similar in appearance.