Content
Hygrocybe conica is not such a rare mushroom. Many people saw him and even kicked him. Mushroom pickers often call it wet head. Belongs to lamellar mushrooms from the Hygrophoraceae family.
What does conical hygrocybe look like?
A description is necessary, because novice mushroom pickers often take all the fruiting bodies that come to hand, without thinking about their benefits or harm.
Hygrocybe conical has a small cap. The diameter, depending on age, can be 2-9 cm. In young mushrooms it is in the shape of a pointed cone, bell or hemispherical. In mature moist heads it becomes broadly conical, but a tubercle remains on the top of the head. The older the conical hygrocybe, the more gaps there are in the cap, and the plates are clearly visible.
During rains, the surface of the crown becomes shiny and sticky. In dry weather it is silky and shiny. In the forest there are mushrooms with red-yellow and red-orange caps, and the tubercle is somewhat brighter than the entire surface.
The legs are long, smooth, straightened, fine-fibered and hollow. At the very bottom they have a slight thickening. In color, they are almost the same as the caps, but the base is whitish. There is no mucus on the legs.
On some specimens the plates are attached to the cap, but there are conical hygrocybes in which this part is free. The plates are narrow in the very center, but widen at the edges. The lower part is yellowish in color. The older the mushroom, the grayer this surface. When touched or pressed, it turns grayish-yellow.
They are distinguished by thin and very fragile pulp. In color it does not differ in any way from the fruiting body itself. Turns black when pressed. The pulp does not stand out in terms of taste and aroma; they are inexpressive.
Ellipsoidal spores are white. They are very small - 8-10 by 5-5.6 microns, smooth. There are buckles on the hyphae.
Where does Hygrocybe conical grow?
The wethead prefers young plantings of birch and aspen trees. Likes to breed on heathers and along roads. Where there is a lot of grass cover:
- along the very edge of deciduous forests;
- on the edges, meadows, pastures.
In pine forests you can see single specimens.
Fruiting of the moist head is long. The first mushrooms are found already in May, and the last ones grow until frost.
Is it possible to eat Hygrocybe conical?
Although Hygrocybe conica is mildly poisonous, it should not be collected. The fact is that it can cause serious intestinal problems.
Relatives of Hygrocybe conical
It is necessary to distinguish other types of hygrocybe, which are very similar to the conical one:
- Hygrocybe turunda or lint. In young specimens the cap is convex, then a depression appears in it. On a dry surface, scales are clearly visible. In the center it is bright red, at the edges it is much lighter, almost yellow. The stem is cylindrical, thin, and slightly curved. A whitish coating is noticeable on the base. The fragile whitish pulp is inedible. Fruiting continues from May to October. Classified as inedible.
- Hygrocybe oak is very similar to wethead. Young mushrooms have a conical cap with a diameter of 3-5 cm, which then flattens out. It is yellow-orange in color. When the weather is damp, mucus appears on the cap. The plates are rare, of the same shade. The taste and aroma of the yellowish pulp is inexpressive. Yellow-orange legs up to 6 cm long, very thin, hollow, slightly curved.
- Hygrocybe oak Unlike its relatives, it is classified as conditionally edible. It is found in mixed forests, but bears fruit best under oak trees.
- Hygrocybe acute conical or persisting. The shape of the yellow or yellow-orange cap varies with age. At first it is conical, then it becomes wide, but the tubercle still remains. There are fibers on the mucous surface of the cap. The pulp is practically odorless and tasteless. The legs are very high - up to 12 cm, diameter - about 1 cm.Important! The inedible mushroom is found in meadows, pastures, and forests from summer to autumn.
Conclusion
Hygrocybe conical is an inedible, mildly poisonous mushroom.It can cause problems with the gastrointestinal tract, so it is not eaten. But while in the forest, you should not knock down fruiting bodies with your feet, since there is nothing useless in nature. As a rule, inedible and overgrown forest products are food for wild animals.
