White pig tricolor: where it grows and what it looks like

White pig tricolor or Melanoleuca tricolor, Clitocybe tricolor, Tricholoma tricolor are the names of one representative of the Tricholoma family. It is listed in the Red Book of the Krasnoyarsk Territory as a relict species.

Where does the white pig tricolor grow

The tricolor white pig is a rare species that scientists have attributed to the group of nemoral relics of the Tertiary age. The fungus is on the verge of extinction due to the mass cutting of black forests, taiga and deciduous. In 2012, Leukopaxillus tricolor was listed in the Red Book as an endangered species of the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

In Our Country, the distribution area is scattered, the species is found in:

• pine perennial massifs of Altai;
• the forest-steppe zone of the right bank of the Volga;
• the middle part of the Angara region;
• untouched taiga Sayan.

The species is very rarely found in Central Europe and the Baltic republics. Isolated cases when fruiting bodies were found in the Penza region and on the Crimean peninsula in the region of Sevastopol. This is the data of scientific expeditions. It is almost impossible for a non-mycologist to distinguish a rare species from other white pigs, but upon closer examination, the fungus does not look like a single member of the family.

Mushrooms grow more often under birches in small groups. In the mild climates of the Southern regions, it can be found under beech or oak, in temperate climates – under pines. Fruiting is long – from the first half of July to September. The fungus is a saprotroph, located on the litter layer of rotted foliage. Possibly attached to a birch, forming a mycorrhizal symbiosis with the root system.

What does the white pig tricolor look like

One of the very large species with a thick, fleshy fruiting body. The diameter of the cap of a mature specimen reaches up to 5 cm. In the world of mushrooms, this is a record figure. The color is not uniform, the surface is tricolor, there are areas with a light brown, ocher or chestnut color.

The external characteristics of the tricolor white pig are as follows:

1. At the beginning of development, the cap is convex, rounded, of regular shape with clearly concave edges. Then they straighten out, form partially curved waves. The size of the upper part of the fruiting body in adult specimens is up to 30 cm.
2. The protective film of young mushrooms is dull, smooth, with a fine felt coating. Then scales are formed on the surface, tightly pressed against it. The location is not continuous, each section is divided by barely noticeable furrows. This structure gives the fruiting body a marble structure.
3. The surface of the cap at the point of rupture of the scales is white, areas of different colors, so the color is not monophonic, more often tricolor.
4. The spore-bearing lower layer of the species is lamellar, the plates are of different lengths. Along the edge of the cap, short ones alternate with large ones, reaching the legs with a clear, even border.
5. The structure is watery, wadded, the color is monophonic, closer to a yellow-beige shade, the edges with dark areas. The plates are even, free, wide – 1,5-2 cm, located densely.
6. Spores are needle-shaped, large, ocher in color.
7. The stem is central, short relative to the size of the cap, grows up to 13 cm long. The shape near the mycelium is club-shaped, 6-9 cm thick. It tapers upwards to 4 cm in width.
8. The surface is rough, sometimes finely scaly. The color is white, rarely the same as the plates, monochromatic. At the base of the thickening there is soil with fragments of mycelium.
9. The structure is fibrous, dense, solid.

Is it possible to eat white pig tricolor

The mushroom is considered edible, but there is very little information about this, single sources classify the white pig in the fourth category in terms of nutritional value. This section also includes conditionally edible mushrooms. In the majority of biological reference books, information on edibility is absent, as well as on toxicity.

An unpleasant pungent odor is alarming, it may be possible to get rid of it during processing, but not a fact. One way or another, the white pig tricolor is so rare that it is almost impossible to collect it. Even experienced mushroom pickers will be scared off by the smell and dissimilarity of a large fruiting body to familiar common species.

Conclusion

A relict mushroom – tricolor white pig – added to the list of the Red Book as an endangered species protected by law. Mushrooms are found in rare cases, the distribution area is scattered from southern latitudes to temperate regions. Humus saprotroph grows more often under birch trees on rotted leaf litter from late summer to early autumn. Can be found under oaks, but only in mild climates.