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Grooved talker (Clitocybe vibecina) is an inedible mushroom of the Rowaceae family. Fruiting occurs at the end of October, single specimens are found in early December.
Where do grooved talkers grow?
The main distribution of colonies is sparse coniferous tracts with dominance of pine trees. The mycelium is located on fallen needles. It can grow among heather thickets, on leaf litter near oak or beech. Preference is given to open space, moderately moist soils with slight acidity. It often forms fruiting bodies on the bark of fallen coniferous branches.
Grows in all regions with coniferous or mixed forests.Single specimens are not found; the grooved talker forms numerous dense colonies. The fruiting period is quite late. The main growth occurs in mid to late autumn. In milder climates, the talker can be seen after the temperature drops to -4 0C.
What do grooved talkers look like?
The species is rare and difficult to identify due to the variability of fruit body color. The color of the cap depends on the humidity in the growing area. The mushroom in a damp environment absorbs a large amount of water, so the color becomes darker. Under normal conditions, the color is cream or light beige; during precipitation it turns brown, with radial stripes visible along the edge of the cap.
External characteristics:
- The cap is round, regular in shape or with uneven wavy edges, diameter - 3-5 cm. At the beginning of growth, slightly convex, then spread out with curved or even edges.
- The surface is hygrophanic, dry, velvety, but changes depending on humidity. After precipitation, the protective film becomes wet and slippery. In dry weather, the surface may be hard, wrinkled, and discolored.
- The recess in the center of the cap is painted in a dark shade.
- The lower lamellar part is light gray. The plates are narrow, of different lengths. The short top ones are formed along the edge, the long ones go down to the leg. The arrangement is dense, tightly fused with the fruiting body.
- The pulp is thin and fragile. In dry weather it is white, after rain it is light brown or gray.
The stem of the mushroom is central, thin, and grows up to 8 cm in length. Straight or curved - depends on the density of the colony. The shape is cylindrical, the structure is fibrous, fragile, hollow. A finely scaly white coating is visible in the upper part.A dense edge is formed near the mycelium. The color is light brown, often gray, and changes with age and humidity levels.
Is it possible to eat grooved talkers?
The fruit body is quite small with thin pulp and is rare. There is no taste, the smell is pungent and repulsive, reminiscent of rotten flour. No toxicity information available. Included in the group of inedible species.
The genus Rowadovaceae includes more than 100 representatives, only a few of which are conditionally edible and are also poisonous. The grooved talker changes color depending on the environment, so it can be confused with an edible member of the genus. If the mushroom is in doubt, you should refrain from collecting it.
How to distinguish grooved talkers
In dry weather, the color of the mushroom brightens, it looks like a pale-colored talker.
The hat is whitish-gray. The structure is watery. It begins to grow at the end of summer and continues until the onset of frost. Found in coniferous and mixed forests. The poisonous mushroom differs from the grooved talker in the absence of a powdery odor and gray color. In dry weather, the poisonous twin has an unpleasant musty odor.
Low-smelling talker also referred to as doubles.
The size of the mushrooms is the same, the places of growth are the same. Fruiting is later: from December to January. The surface of the cap is covered with a thin waxy coating, transparent, light brown. The pulp has the taste and smell of rancid flour. The plates are large and rare. The species is inedible.
Wax talker - a poisonous representative of the genus. Found in temperate climates, fruiting occurs from September to November. Grows in small groups.
The double is larger in size, the cap has a larger depression in the center. The color is white, the dense wax coating cracks in dry weather, acquiring the structure of a marble surface. The taste is soft, astringent, the smell is spicy, clearly expressed, not repulsive.
Conclusion
Grooved talker is an inedible mushroom with a mealy taste and an unpleasant rancid odor. The fruit body is hygrophanous and changes color depending on the humidity level. Fruiting later, found in pine and mixed forests on coniferous, moss or deciduous litter. Forms dense colonies growing in rows or semicircles.
