Contents
Spring cobweb is an inedible representative of the Spider family. It grows among broad-leaved and coniferous trees, in a deciduous substrate, in moss or tall grass. This species is not used in cooking, therefore, in order not to get food poisoning, you need to study its external characteristics before a quiet hunt.
What does a spring cobweb look like
The spring cobweb is not eaten, so it is important to highlight its differences from edible counterparts. This will allow not to put a specimen hazardous to health in the basket.
Cap Description
The cap, up to 6 cm in diameter, is shaped like a bell; as it grows, it gradually straightens out and becomes flat-spread, leaving a slight rise in the center. The edges are even or wavy, in dry weather they become brittle and brittle. The dry surface is smooth, silky, covered with brown or dark brown skin with a purple tint.
The lower layer is decorated with thin, dirty-gray plates, which at a young age are covered with a dense veil. As it grows, the protection breaks through and descends in the form of a skirt on the leg. The gray-brown pulp is dense, without a pronounced taste and smell. Reproduction occurs by elongated spores, which are collected in a red-brown powder.
Description of the leg
The leg, up to 10 cm high, has a cylindrical shape and is covered with a gray-brown skin, with a pronounced reddening closer to the ground. The pulp is fibrous, tasteless and odorless. The color depends on the place and time of growth.
Where and how to grow
Spring cobweb prefers to grow on rotten trunks of deciduous and coniferous trees, stumps and dead wood. It can be found in clearings, along roads, in open glades, in moss and grass.
Is the mushroom edible or not?
Due to the lack of taste and aroma, this forest dweller is not eaten. But, despite the fact that toxicity has not been identified, experienced mushroom pickers recommend passing by unknown specimens.
Twins and their differences
The spring cobweb, like any inhabitant of the forest, has false counterparts. These include:
- Bright red – inedible species, grows from May to July. Grows in small families in damp places, coniferous and deciduous forests. The pulp is dense, with a characteristic floral aroma. You can recognize the species by a small conical brown-brown hat and a thin curved stem. The lower layer is formed by wide serrated plates of light brown color.
- Triumphal – a rare, edible species listed in the Red Book. The hat reaches a diameter of 12 cm, has a hemispherical or spherical shape. The surface is covered with a shiny, slimy, bright orange skin. As it grows, it darkens and acquires a brown-red color. The pulp is dense, fleshy, without taste and aroma.
- Saffron is an inedible forest dweller that grows among coniferous trees, near water bodies, along roads. Occurs from July until the first frost. The hat is up to 7 cm in size, covered with fibrous, red-brown skin. The pulp is dense, has no smell and taste.
Conclusion
Spring cobweb is an inedible representative of the forest kingdom. It grows in mixed forests from April to November. Since the species has edible counterparts, you need to be able to distinguish it by external characteristics. During mushroom hunting, it must be remembered that inedible, little-known specimens can cause irreparable harm to health.