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Birnbaum's dung beetle is a beautiful bright yellow saprophyte mushroom of the Champignonaceae family of the genus White dung. It is classified as decorative and grows in greenhouses and gardens.
Where does Birnbaum's white dung grow?
The mushroom is unpretentious and can grow anywhere where there are suitable conditions. The saprophyte parasitizes mosses and bark, loves substrates fertilized with manure and soils rich in humus. In greenhouse conditions (in greenhouses, greenhouses, flower pots) it grows all year round.
In the wild, it is found primarily in North America and Europe, but can grow throughout the world.
What does Birnbaum's white dung look like?
A young specimen has an oval or ovoid cap; gradually it opens up, turns into a conical, bell-shaped, prostrate cap, and in mature mushrooms it becomes almost flat. There is a tubercle in the center.The surface is bright yellow, dry, covered with a flaky yellowish coating. The edge is first rolled up, then straight with radial grooves. Its size reaches a diameter of 1 to 5 cm.
Bright yellow mushroom is a real decoration of the garden
The pulp is yellow and does not change color when cut. Odorless and tasteless.
The height of the leg reaches 8 cm, thickness – 4 mm in diameter. The color is the same as the hat. It is usually curved, hollow, and widened at the bottom. In the upper part you can see a ring, which is the remnant of a protective blanket - velum. It is yellowish, filmy, narrow, disappearing. Above the ring the surface is smooth, below it is covered with a coating in the form of yellowish flakes.
The hymenophore of Birnbaum's white dung has the appearance of thin plates of sulfur-yellow color, often located, free relative to the stalk.
The spores are ovoid or oval-ellipsoidal, smooth, colorless, medium in size (7-11X4-7.5 microns). The powder is pinkish.
Pilate's white dung. An insufficiently studied species that is rarely found in single specimens. It is a saprophyte and can grow in any place with a suitable substrate; it is found in parks, on lawns, garden plots, and near oak trees. Its edibility has not been established, so collecting it is not recommended. The main difference from Birnbaum's dung beetle is its large size, darker color, and the smell of pine nuts in the pulp. The size of the cap is from 3.5 to 9 cm. At first it is spherical, then convex and finally prostrate.The surface is reddish-brown, there is a tubercle of intense red-brown color in the center, the edges are thin, in young specimens they are turned down, with whitish remains of the spathe. The height of the leg is up to 12 cm, the position is central, there is a tuber at the base. In young specimens it is whole, in old specimens it is hollow inside. There is a ring in the upper part, above it it is whitish, below it it is reddish-brown. The plates are thin, loose, light cream, and when pressed they become reddish-brown. Spore powder is pinkish. The pulp is whitish, pinkish-brown when cut, and has no taste.
The Pilate's dung beetle has reddish-brown caps.
White champignon is blushing. Quite common. It is larger in size than Birnbaum's dung beetle, belongs to the edible species with good taste, and has a different color. It is found in the wild only in the Southern Hemisphere, and in the Northern Hemisphere it is grown artificially. It grows in small groups in mixed forests, pastures, fields, forest edges, and gardens; sometimes single specimens are found. Outwardly, it looks like an ordinary champignon. The cap grows up to 5-10 cm. It is convex, with a small tubercle in the center, straightens out as it grows, and the remains of a protective cover are visible at the edge. It can have either thin or thick flesh, white or pale cream. The surface is matte, smooth to the touch, in the old specimen it cracks with the formation of grayish-beige scales in the center. The leg is cylindrical or curved, whitish or grayish, the surface is smooth, there is a white or brown ring. The pulp is fibrous. Grows up to 5-10 cm in length and up to 1-2 cm in thickness.The plates are free, even, frequent, in young ones they are whitish, in mature ones they first turn pink, then darken. The spores are white or pinkish, ovoid, smooth. The powder is creamy. The flesh of the white champignon is whitish, dense, elastic, with a pleasant mushroom aroma.
White champignon is a white or light cream colored edible mushroom.
Is it possible to eat Birnbaum's dung beetle?
The mushroom is inedible. It is not eaten due to lack of nutritional qualities. Performs a decorative function.
Conclusion
Birnbaum's dung beetle is an inedible mushroom, but it has a very beautiful appearance and bright color, so it is grown in greenhouses for decorative purposes. In greenhouses it bears fruit all year round.
