Content
The dung goblet is a miniature inedible mushroom, shaped like a glass or an inverted cone. Rarely found, it grows in large families in fertile soil. Fruits in spring and autumn. Since the mushroom has a bizarre shape, it is very difficult to confuse it with edible representatives.
Where does the dung cup grow?
The dung cup is rare. It prefers to grow on moist fertile soil, on a heap with manure, in rotting deciduous substrate or on dry wood. Fruits in large families in spring and autumn. They can also be seen before the start of winter after heavy rains.
What does a glass of dung look like?
Getting acquainted with the species should begin with external characteristics.The fruiting body of young specimens is oblong and light coffee in color. The surface is covered with a snow-white film that covers the spore layer. As they mature, the membrane ruptures, and bluish elongated peridioles appear, which act as containers for spores. They are attached to the bottom of the glasses using a mycelial cord.
The species grows in close groups
The outside of the mushroom is covered with microscopic hairs and colored ocher or coffee. The inside is glossy, smooth, gray or black. The pulp is tasteless and odorless, so the mushroom has no nutritional value.
Reproduction occurs through large, thick-walled spores with a glossy surface. As it matures, it ruptures, and the spores are spread over long distances by the wind.
The dung glass, like any inhabitant of the forest, has similar doubles. Such as:
- Striped - an inedible species that grows in mixed forests. The small fruiting body has an oblong shape. As it matures, the upper part breaks open, exposing the ovoid dark peridioles, and the mushroom takes on the shape of an inverted cone. It is rare and bears fruit in large groups in the fall.
The pulp is hard, tasteless and odorless
- Olla - a small inedible mushroom with a felt surface. At a young age, the shape is ovoid, as it matures it becomes cone-shaped. The surface is velvety, dark coffee color. They grow on woody substrate in deciduous and spruce forests, steppes and meadows. Fruits from May to October, sometimes found in winter. The mushroom often grows in large groups.
The species is widespread in mixed forests
- Smooth – an inedible species that grows in mixed forests on rotting wood and deciduous substrate. It bears fruit throughout the warm period in close groups. The mushroom can be recognized by its small barrel-shaped shape. As it matures, it becomes cone-shaped and the membrane ruptures, exposing light coffee-colored spore storage areas. The pulp is hard, elastic, ocher, tasteless and odorless.
Grows on rotting wood
Is it possible to eat a glass of dung?
The dung cup is an inedible representative of the mushroom kingdom. Due to the lack of taste and smell, the species is not used in cooking. But, due to its ability to destroy woody remains, this representative is widely used for processing agricultural residues.
The fungus breaks down lignin without significantly damaging cellulose. Thanks to this, the nutritional value of plant residues increases and becomes valuable for feeding livestock.
This type of glass is used in folk medicine. Fruiting bodies secrete antioxidants that protect nuclear DNA. Young specimens are also used to make flocks and infusions for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases.
Conclusion
A glass of dung - due to the lack of taste, it is not used as food. But the species has found application in agriculture and due to its beneficial properties in folk medicine. It can be recognized by its bizarre shape and rounded black peridioles, which are located inside the cone.
