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Udemansiella mucosa (mucidula mucosa, whitefish, white mucilaginous fungus) is a small tree fungus belonging to the genus Udemansiella. Widespread in European deciduous forests. There are both single specimens and in clusters of 2–3 individuals fused at the bases of the legs.
What does Oudemansiella mucosa look like?
It is a beautiful agaric that is translucent white or cream in color. The main distinguishing feature of Udemansiella mucosa is the presence of mucus on the cap and stem. It is noteworthy that young specimens have an almost dry surface, becoming covered with an increasingly thick layer of mucus with age.
Cap Description
The thin hat has a diameter of 30–90 mm. In the center it is brownish, towards the edges it is pure white, thinning and almost transparent. The young individual has a convex hat of a grayish-cream or gray-olive hue. With age, it noticeably brightens, acquiring a white color, and becomes more and more flat. The pulp is white, thin. Under the hat, rare wide plates of cream or milky white color are clearly distinguishable.
Description of the leg
It has a straight or curved thin stem 40–60 mm high and 4–7 mm thick. It is fibrous, white in color, cylindrical in shape, tapering from the base to the cap, smooth, has a fixed ribbed ring. The ring and the upper part of the stem are covered with a white coating from spores. The lower part is mucous, the upper is dry.
Is the mushroom edible or not?
Udemansiella of this species is edible, belongs to the IV category, that is, suitable for food, but does not represent nutritional and culinary value due to the lack of its own taste and poor chemical composition. If used for food, then mixed with noble mushroom representatives.
Where and how to grow
Udemansiella mucosa grows in damp places on dry trunks or stumps of deciduous trees (maple, beech, oak). It can parasitize living weakened trees, but does not bring much harm to them. Most often grows in clusters, but single specimens can also be found.
This variety is quite common in the world. In Our Country, it can be found in the south of Primorye, in the Stavropol forests, much less often in the Central part of Our Country.
The season of appearance lasts from the second half of summer to mid-autumn.
Twins and their differences
Recognizing Udemansiella mucosa is not difficult due to the characteristic morphological features (color, shape of the mushroom body, the presence of mucus) and growth characteristics. There are no obvious twins.
Conclusion
Udemansiella mucosa is a common but little-known mushroom, edible, but of little value from a culinary point of view.
