Contents
Willow whip is a conditionally edible mushroom representative from the Pluteev family. The fungus grows in cities with a temperate climate and begins fruiting in early spring, it lasts until the first frost. Since the species is very similar to a toadstool, before mushroom hunting, you need to study the external description, view photos and videos.
Description of whips willow
Acquaintance with the view must begin with an external description. Since during mushroom picking a conditionally edible specimen is easy to confuse with a poisonous or inedible forest dweller, you need to have an idea of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbwhat it looks like and where it grows.
Cap Description
At a young age, the hat of the willow spurge is hemispherical or bell-shaped. With age, it straightens and takes on the shape of a saucer, leaving a slight rise in the center. The size is small, up to 10 cm. The pulp is dense, fragile at the edges, after rain it swells and increases in size. The surface is covered with a thin, scaly skin of a light olive or sky-gray color. The white flesh has a watery texture. On a cut or when pressed, a light green milky juice is released.
The spore layer is formed by snow-white, pink or cream thin plates. Reproduction occurs by ovoid spores, which are in a pink spore powder.
Description of the leg
Cylindrical leg, thickened towards the bottom, smooth or slightly curved, up to 6 cm long. The fibrous pulp is covered with shiny, whitish-bluish or gray-olive scales. When pressed, dark spots remain on the leg.
Where and how to grow
Willow whip prefers to grow in mixed, deciduous forests. Since the species is a saprotroph, a forest nurse, it chooses dry, dead wood, deciduous substrate, and rotting stumps for growth. Basically, the species settles in single specimens, less often in small families, on willow, linden, alder, poplar. The fungus is distributed throughout Our Country, but is extremely rare. It starts fruiting from June to October.
It is difficult to confuse willow lashes with other specimens, since spots of heavenly or gray-olive color are clearly visible on the stem of young mushrooms. With age, the entire leg acquires a bluish or emerald color. All these species characteristics appear depending on the place of growth and climatic conditions.
Is the mushroom edible or not?
Willow whip is considered conditionally edible, but due to its small size, bitter taste and aniseed smell, it is not very popular with mushroom pickers. But if there is a desire to use willow whip in cooking, the harvested crop is soaked and boiled for 10-15 minutes. Further, the prepared product can be stewed and fried.
Twins and their differences
Willow whip, like any representative of the mushroom kingdom, has its brethren:
- Deer – a small view with a miniature dark gray bell-shaped hat. The surface is covered with a velvety skin, which can crack in dry weather. The whitish or light gray cylindrical leg is fibrous, may be straight or slightly curved. The whitish pulp is fragile, does not change color when mechanically damaged. This representative belongs to inedible species. It grows on rotten wood from June to early September.
- Noble Despite its name, the mushroom is inedible. You can recognize it by a small cap of light gray color and a whitish slightly curved stem. The fragile pulp exudes a pleasant mushroom aroma and has a sweetish taste. It grows in deciduous forests, comes into fruiting from July to October.
- umber – belongs to the 4th group of edibility. Widespread in temperate regions. It starts fruiting from July to October. This representative of the forest kingdom has a small hemispherical, wrinkled hat of whitish or light gray color. Fragile and light flesh has a bitter taste and radish aroma. Before cooking, the mushrooms are soaked and boiled for 20 minutes. Experienced mushroom pickers advise walking past unknown species so as not to get food poisoning.
Conclusion
Willow whip belongs to the fourth group of edibility. The fungus grows on moist soil, on decaying deciduous trees and stumps. It starts fruiting from June to October. Since this forest dweller has inedible counterparts, it is necessary to know its external description.