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Albatrellus confluent is an annual mushroom with good edible qualities. To correctly recognize it in the forest, you should study photographs and descriptions of the mushroom, and also understand what species it may resemble.
Where does albatrellus confluent grow?
The mushroom can be found mainly in Siberia and the Urals in Russia. Albatrellus grows mainly in acidic soils and is found both in coniferous forests among moss and in mixed plantings.You can meet it alone, but more often the mushroom grows in large groups of several specimens.
Maximum fruiting occurs in August and early September, and in general, confluent albatrellus grows from early July to early November.
What does confluent albatrellus look like?
Confluent albatrellus is also called confluent albatrellus, as well as tinder fungus. The name is due to the fact that most often several fruiting bodies grow close to each other, as if fused with legs or edges of the cap, which is why they turn into a shapeless mass up to 40 cm in diameter.
The albatrellus cap can have a different shape - round, uneven, elongated to one side. The diameter of an individual cap usually does not exceed 15 cm, its surface is smooth when young, and rough when grown, with small scales in the central part. Old mushrooms may crack. The color of the merging tinder fungus is usually cream or yellowish-pinkish, sometimes slightly reddish, and with age it turns red or brownish-pink.
The underside of the mushroom cap is tubular, white or cream, and after drying it is pink or red-brown. The pores on the underside are different in shape - angular and round, small.
On a stalk, the confluent tinder fungus usually rises 5-7 cm above the ground. Its leg is fleshy, but brittle, up to 3 cm in diameter, cream or slightly pinkish in color. The pulp of albatrellus is white and dense when cut, becoming reddish when dry.
Is it possible to eat albatrellus confluentus?
The merging tinder fungus is completely suitable for food consumption.You can even eat it raw, but more often the mushroom is boiled or fried, this allows you to remove possible toxins from the pulp that have accumulated during its growth from the soil.
Taste qualities of mushroom
According to connoisseurs, the merging tinder fungus has a rather pleasant taste. It is used not only in assorted mushrooms, but also in its own form - in hot and cold dishes, in pickling and pickling. The advantage of confluent albatrellus is that after processing its flesh remains pleasantly elastic.
Raw albatrellus has a neutral odor and a slightly sour or bitter taste. These flavors disappear during processing.
Benefits and harm to the body
Eating the merging tinder fungus is good for health - the mushroom has a diverse chemical composition and valuable properties. In particular, when used it:
- strengthens the immune system and makes the body more resistant to viruses and colds;
- has an antitumor effect and serves as a prevention of cancer;
- has a mild analgesic effect and helps relieve inflammation;
- improves the functioning of the metabolic system;
- prevents the development of anemia and helps build healthy muscle mass.
Albatrellus accreta contains a large amount of protein in its composition, so it is useful to use it when recovering from serious illnesses and when underweight. Using mushroom pulp, useful tinctures are prepared in water and alcohol, which are used both for internal use and for compresses and rubbing.
As for contraindications for use, first of all you should avoid fused albatrellus if you have allergies.It is also not recommended to eat it during pregnancy and lactation - accidental poisoning with mushroom pulp can lead to fatal consequences. It is better to exclude confluent albatrellus from the diet in case of chronic ailments of the stomach, liver and a tendency to frequent constipation - the protein mushroom is a rather difficult product to digest.
False doubles
The confluent albatrellus is quite different from other species and has no poisonous counterparts. But in the absence of experience, it can be confused with some edible or inedible species, for example, with related polypores.
Sheep tinder
Most similar to the merging tinder fungus is the sheep tinder fungus - a related species similar to albatrellus in external outline and size. It also grows spreadingly and in groups, but unlike the fused polypore, it usually does not merge into an uneven mass of several fruiting bodies.
Another difference is the color of the fruiting bodies. Sheep tinder fungus is usually yellowish on both the upper and lower sides of the cap; when pressed on the tubular surface, it acquires a green tint.
Albatrellus blushes
Another closely related species is the blushing polypore, which has a similar cap and stalk structure.It is also characterized by very uneven shapes, but the reddened albatrellus rarely grows together with the caps of the fruiting bodies; more often the mushrooms are simply located very close to each other.
The species can also be distinguished by color. As the name implies, the blushing polypore has an orange-reddish color, darker in the center and lighter towards the edges. Confluent albatrellus is usually lighter in color.
The reddened species is usually not eaten. It is not a poisonous mushroom, but it tastes too bitter and is therefore not suitable for processing.
Albatrellus cristata
This mushroom has the same structure and shape as all other related albatrellus. It is also found in Siberia, which increases the likelihood of confusing it with the merging polypore.
But unlike the fused albatrellus, the combed species has a brighter color. His hat is olive-brown, reddish-rusty, slightly greenish at the edges. The comb tinder fungus is not eaten because its flesh is too hard and the taste is unpleasant, although it is not poisonous.
Collection rules
It is better to go collecting merging tinder fungi closer to autumn - mushrooms begin to bear fruit most actively from August to the end of September. It is best to look for them in Siberia, the Urals and the Murmansk region; in other regions the mushroom is found very rarely, and the chance of finding it is small.
Draining polypores should be collected in environmentally friendly places located away from major roads, industrial factories, landfills and other contaminated areas.During its growth period, the mushroom accumulates toxins contained in the air, soil and sediment well in the pulp - albatrellus from unfavorable areas can be harmful to health if consumed.
You need to cut the mushroom carefully, trying not to damage its underground part. If you destroy the mycelium, then subsequently the tinder fungus will no longer be able to germinate in the same place.
Use
The confluent polypore is suitable for consumption even raw, but in practice the fresh pulp is rarely eaten, as it may contain toxins from the soil. Usually the mushroom is boiled before use; to do this, you need to shake off the adhering debris, remove the outer skin from the cap with a knife and boil the pulp with salt for about 15-20 minutes.
After boiling, the merging tinder fungus can be processed in any way. The edible mushroom is fried and stewed, added to soups and consumed as a very tasty independent dish.
The tinder fungus is also suitable for harvesting for the winter. It can be pickled and salted, and also dried. In the latter case, the mushroom is not washed before drying so that the pulp does not absorb excess water.
Conclusion
Albatrellus confluence is an unusual-looking, but quite tasty edible mushroom that grows mainly in the Urals and Siberia. It has many similar, but inedible counterparts, so before collecting you should study the characteristics of different types of tinder fungi and learn to distinguish them.
