Content
Mushrooms of the Banker family are saprotrophs. They accelerate the process of decomposition of plant remains and feed on them. Blue hydnellum (Hydnellum caeruleum) is one of the representatives of this family, choosing to grow in places closer to pine trees.
What does blue hydnellum look like?
The fruiting body can reach a height of 12 cm. And the cap grows up to 20 cm in diameter. Its surface is uneven, with pits and bumps. The color of young mushrooms is light blue in the center, and deep blue at the edges. Over time, the surface darkens and acquires a brown, gray, earthy tint. When you touch the hat, you can feel its velvety feel. The lower part is covered with spines 5-6 mm long. This is where the hymenophore is located, where the spores ripen. The mushroom is popularly called hedgehog mushroom.
The thorns smoothly transfer to the short leg, giving it a velvety feel. Its height is 5 cm. It is darker than the cap, brown in color and goes deep into the ground or moss.
A young specimen looks like a small white cloud with a blue edge
Where does Hydnellum blue grow?
This species is found in pine forests of northern European countries and northern Russia in summer and early autumn. Settles singly on soils poor in nutrients, next to white moss, does not like overly fertilized soils. So, in Holland, due to the oversaturation of the soil with nitrogen and sulfur, there are very few of these mushrooms left. Its collection is prohibited here. The copy is listed in the Red Book of the Novosibirsk region.
Is it possible to eat Hydnellum blue?
This fruiting body is inedible, but is used for economic purposes. Its flesh is dense, woody in adult mushrooms, without any odor. Previously, they were collected and the pulp was used to make dye for fabrics. Depending on the concentration, it gave a color ranging from gray to deep blue. The coloring properties of the species were actively used by Dutch manufactories.
Similar species
There are few similar mushrooms. Among them:
- Hydnellum rusty, which has the same uneven surface of the cap, initially light gray, then dark brown, rusty in color. This is a small mushroom up to 10 cm high, growing in pine forests. The leg can be completely buried in moss or spruce litter. Rusty hedgehog takes on a rusty hue with age.
- Hydnellum fragrant It is also difficult to distinguish from the blue hedgehog: the same convex-concave tuberous surface and hymenophore with blue spines on the lower part of the cap. But the leg has the shape of a cone, and the flesh gives off an unpleasant, repulsive odor. Red drops emanating from the pulp are sometimes noticeable on the surface.The surface of Hydnellum fragrant is wavy and uneven.
- Hydnellum Peca found in Australia, North America and Europe. The velvety surface resembles a light cake drizzled with drops of red syrup. The pulp is hard, cork-like, bluish-brown in color. Has a pungent odor. But insects love it, the fungus takes advantage of this by feeding on their secretions. Peka's hedgehog has antibacterial properties.
Conclusion
Hydnellum blue is a rather rare mushroom. It is listed in the Red Books of many European countries, since in the Middle Ages it was used for household needs - for dyeing fabric in factories. Now the specimen is of no interest to the mushroom picker.
