Content
Yellow-colored puffball (Lycoperdon flavotinctum) is an edible mushroom of the fourth category. Included in the Raincoat genus, Champignon family. It is very rare, grows in small groups, often singly. Fruiting is periodic, not every year.
The mushroom received its specific name because of its bright color.
Description of the yellow-colored raincoat
The color of the fruiting body distinguishes the mushroom from other members of the genus. The color can be all shades of yellow or orange. The fruits are small in size, spherical in shape, young specimens are without stems. In adults, a well-defined pseudopod up to 1 cm long appears, the shape becomes pear-shaped.
Yellow-colored puffball with thick mycelium threads
Characteristics of the type:
- The fruiting body is small: adult specimens do not grow higher than 3.5 cm, reaching a width of 3 cm.
- At the beginning of growth, the peridium is covered with rounded bulges and small spines. Over time, under the influence of precipitation, part of the top layer crumbles, the surface becomes smooth.
- The color is not uniform, it is paler at the base, ripe specimens become completely lighter.
- The mycelium strands are thick, long, and tightly attached to the base.
- The spores are located in the upper part, 1/3 of the fruiting body remains sterile.
- When they mature, the upper part of the peridium cracks, opens, and a rounded passage is formed for ejection.
- The pulp is white at the beginning of the growing season; as the spores ripen, it turns yellow, then turns brown with a green tint.
- The structure of young specimens is dense, spongy, and with age it becomes loose, then in the form of a powder.
Where and how does it grow
Rarely found, growing in small groups or singly from mid-summer to late October. The main distribution area in Russia is the zone of temperate and temperate continental climate. Found in the Moscow region, Siberia, the Far East and the Urals. Closer to the south this species is practically not found. Fruiting is unstable. Grows in forest clearings, among short grass in mixed or deciduous areas.
Is the mushroom edible or not?
Yellow-colored puffball is included in the category of edible mushrooms with low nutritional value; it is classified in the fourth group. Fruit bodies are suitable for frying and preparing first courses. The raincoat is dried, processed for winter storage, and frozen. Young specimens with dense white flesh are used in cooking.Prepared in the same way as other edible puffballs.
Doubles and their differences
In appearance it resembles the yellow-colored common puffball. The double is inedible.
The mushroom is often found; fruiting occurs from August to frost. It differs from the yellow-colored raincoat in the following ways:
- the peridium is thick and hard, completely covered with dark brown, small and tightly fitting scales;
- surface lemon or ocher color;
- the fruiting body grows up to 6 cm in width and height, ovoid in shape, reminiscent of a tuber;
- the stalk is absent, the mycelial filaments are thin and short;
- The color of the pulp is initially white, then inky black; at the site of the rupture of the shell to release the spores, the pulp is red.
The common puffball has an unpleasant, repulsive odor
Conclusion
Yellow-colored puffball is a rare species with irregular fruiting. The mushroom is edible with a yellow or orange color. The fruit body is universal in processing, but only young specimens with white elastic pulp are suitable for gastronomic purposes.
