Trihaptum larch (Trichaptum laricinum)
Trihaptum larch belongs to the tinder fungus. It usually grows in the taiga, preferring the deadwood of conifers – pines, spruces, larches.
Most often grows one year, but there are also biennial specimens.
Outwardly, it is not much different from other tinder fungi: prostrate fruiting bodies, located in the form of tiles along deadwood or on a stump. But there are also specific features (plates, thickness of the hymenophore).
The caps are very similar to shells, while in young mushrooms they have a rounded shape, and then, in mature Trihaptums, they become almost merging together. Dimensions – up to about 6-7 centimeters in length.
The surface of the caps of Trichaptum laricinum has a grayish, sometimes white color, and is silky to the touch. The surface is smooth, the zones are not always distinguished. The fabric is similar to parchment, consists of two very thin layers, separated by a dark layer.
The hymenophore is lamellar, while the plates diverge radially, have a purple color in young specimens, and then, later, become gray and brown.
The mushroom is inedible. It occurs, despite the prevalence in the regions, quite rarely.
A similar species is brown-violet trihaptum, but its plates are very dissected, and the hymenophore is thinner (about 2-5 mm).