Contents
Scaly sawfly, or Sleeper mushroom, belongs to the conditionally edible species of the Polypore family. It grows in small families, on the stumps of coniferous trees. Since it has false twins, you need to familiarize yourself with the external description, view photos and videos.
What does a scaly sawfly look like
During a quiet hunt, many mushroom pickers pass by this species, not knowing that it can be eaten and that it has useful properties. To recognize the scaly sawfly, you need to know the external characteristics.
Cap Description
The cap of the scaly sawfly is round-convex, gradually straightens with age, leaving a small depression in the center. The surface is covered with a dirty white or gray-brown skin, which cracks in dry weather. A cap with a diameter of 10 cm or more has numerous brown-brown scales. The lower layer is formed by thin plates of dirty yellow color. Reproduction occurs by microscopic spores, which are located in a whitish powder.
Description of the leg
The cylindrical leg reaches a length of up to 6 cm. Closer to the ground, it narrows and becomes rhizomatous-elongated. The surface is covered with a whitish skin with red or light brown scales. In young specimens, the pulp is soft, elastic, with a pleasant mushroom taste and smell. With age, it becomes tough, so old mushrooms are not used for food.
Where and how to grow
Scaly sawfly prefers to grow on stumps, fallen and rotting coniferous wood. It can also be seen on wooden structures such as sleepers and telegraph poles. To preserve wooden buildings, railway workers treat products with antiseptics. But this representative is not harmed by drugs, and he continues to grow and develop in the same place. Due to this, the scaly sawfly has the second name Sleeper mushroom. Fruiting occurs throughout the warm period, but the peak occurs in mid-summer.
Is the mushroom edible or not?
The mushroom is conditionally edible, but due to the place of growth, it does not have many fans. From the harvested crop, you can cook fried, boiled or canned dishes.
Due to the beneficial and medicinal properties, this representative of the forest kingdom has gained popularity among mushroom pickers from the East. Dried sawfly has antitumor properties. When using this representative of the forest kingdom in fried and stewed dishes, the body receives a large amount of useful substances that fight infectious diseases.
Twins and their differences
The scaly sawfly has a characteristic appearance, so it is very difficult to confuse it with other species. But this representative has related twins:
- goblet – inedible forest dweller. It grows on rotting and fallen hardwood. You can recognize it by the funnel-shaped hat of a reddish-whitish color. With age, the surface fades and becomes pure white. The leg is thick and short, completely covered with plates. The pulp is elastic dense with a pleasant fruity aroma.
- Brindle – belongs to the 4th group of edibility. Only young specimens are eaten. Dense flesh of snow-white color, with mechanical damage becomes red. On fallen coniferous trees, it can be found from early summer to mid-September.
Conclusion
Scaly sawfly is a conditionally edible mushroom that grows on rotten fallen wood. Young specimens collected in an ecologically clean place are used for food. Fruiting lasts the entire warm period, but July is considered the most fruitful month. Since this species has inedible counterparts, you need to carefully study the external description and view the photo before a quiet hunt.