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Hygrophorus parrot is a representative of the Hygroforaceae family, genus Gliophorus. The Latin name of this species is Gliophorus psittacinus. It has many other names: parrot hygrocybe, variegated hygrophor, green gliophor and hygrocybe psittacina.
What does a hygrophorus parrot look like?
The species got its name due to its rather bright and changeable color.
Hygrocybe parrot can be recognized by the following characteristic features:
- At the initial stage, the cap is bell-shaped with ribbed edges; as it grows, it becomes prostrate, while maintaining a central wide tubercle. The surface is smooth, shiny, slimy. Colored green or yellow, as it matures it acquires various shades of pink.Since this variety is characterized by changing the color of the fruiting body to bright colors, it was nicknamed the variegated parrot.
- On the underside of the cap there are sparse and wide plates. They are colored yellowish with a greenish tint. The spores are ovoid, white.
- The leg is cylindrical, very thin, its thickness in diameter is 0.6 cm, and its length is 6 cm. It is hollow inside and mucous on the outside, colored greenish-yellow.
- The pulp is brittle, brittle, usually white, but sometimes you can see yellowish or greenish spots on it. It has no distinct taste, but has an unpleasant smell of dampness or earth.
Where does Hygrophorus variegated grow?
This species can be found throughout the summer and autumn in clearings or meadows. Prefers to grow among grass or moss in mountainous areas or sunny edges. Hygrophorus parrot tends to grow in large groups. Most common in North and South America, Western Europe, Japan, Greenland, Iceland, Japan and South Africa.
Is it possible to eat hygrophora parrot
The variety belongs to the category of conditionally edible mushrooms. Despite this, hygrophor parrot has no nutritional value, since it is tasteless and has an unpleasant aroma.
False doubles
Prefers to grow in temperate climates
Thanks to the bright and unusual color of the fruiting bodies, the hygrophora parrot is quite difficult to confuse with other gifts of the forest. However, in terms of external features, this species is most similar to the following specimens:
- Hygrocybe dark chlorine - inedible mushroom. The size of the cap in diameter varies from 2 to 7 cm. The main distinguishing feature is the brighter and more striking color of the fruiting bodies.As a rule, a double can be recognized by its orange-yellow or lemon-colored cap. The color of the fruit pulp is also different; in Hygrocybe dark chloride it is colored in various shades of yellow. It is very fragile and does not have a distinct smell or taste.
- Hygrocybe waxy - belongs to the group of inedible mushrooms. Most common in Europe and North America. It differs from the parrot hygrophore in the small size of its fruiting bodies. Thus, the double’s cap is only 1 to 4 cm in diameter, and is colored in orange-yellowish shades.
Rules for collection and use
When going in search of a parrot's hygrophore, you should know that it is excellent at camouflaging itself by sitting in the grass or on a moss mat. The greenish-yellow fruiting bodies are very thin, fragile and small. Therefore, it is necessary to collect these mushrooms as carefully as possible.
Conclusion
Not every mushroom picker knows such a specimen as the hygrophorus parrot. It is a small fruiting body with a bright color. It belongs to the group of conditionally edible mushrooms, but is not popular in cooking. This is due to the fact that this variety is characterized by a small size of fruiting bodies, lack of pronounced taste and the presence of an unpleasant aroma.
