Contents
Terrestrial telephora belongs to non-lamellar fungi and is part of the extensive Teleforov family. Its Latin name is Thelefora terrestris. Also known as earth telephora. While walking through the forest, it can be met with a high degree of probability, it grows everywhere. However, it is not easy to notice it because of its appearance.
What does a terrestrial telephore look like?
The fruit bodies of the terrestrial telephora are small, no larger than 6 cm in size. They look like rosettes or outgrowths. Consists of fan-shaped petals. They can be expanded or folded. Often merge in groups, are prostrate. Such splices reach 25 cm in diameter.
The shape of the fruiting bodies is funnel-shaped, fan-shaped, in the form of caps grown sideways. Margins entire or densely ciliate dissected.
Mushrooms are sessile or with a small stem. The surface is uneven, woolly, smooth underneath. The color is unevenly distributed, ranging from dark brown to brown or reddish brown. The edges are lighter, brownish, felted.
The hymenophore is smooth or tuberculate. Painted grey-brown.
Is the mushroom edible or not?
The flesh of the ground telephora is leathery and fibrous. As it grows, it becomes hard.
Where and how to grow
Grows on soil and litter. May be:
- saprotroph – feed on the decomposition of organic matter;
- symbiotroph – feed on the juices and secretions of the host organism.
Forms mycorrhiza with conifers: spruces, pines, eucalyptus and other trees.
Terrestrial telephora is ubiquitous. You can meet the mushroom in deciduous, mixed and coniferous forests, in nurseries, in cutting areas. It prefers dry sandy soils. It can live on rotting wood, in moss, on needles, on stumps. It grows not only singly, but also in whole groups.
The fruiting period begins in June and lasts until the end of November.
Twins and their differences
Telephora terrestrial in appearance is very similar to another representative of the Teleforov family, clove telephora. The difference of the latter lies in the fact that its hearth bodies are smaller, cup-shaped, with a central leg. The edges are deeply cut.
Conclusion
Terrestrial telephora, being ubiquitous, is not considered edible. The flesh quickly becomes hard. Many arborists consider it one of the most important nursery mushrooms. It is used for breeding conifers. Covering the roots of seedlings, it provides protection against fungi and bacteria, promotes the absorption of trace elements and the distribution of moisture. This helps to increase the survival rate of young trees, reduce transplant stress and promote growth.