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The moss mushroom is a typical representative of the large family of Boletaceae mushrooms, which include boletus mushrooms or boletus mushrooms. Representatives of this family are especially loved by mushroom pickers, since among them there are no deadly poisonous ones. The only exception was the satanic mushroom; it really poses a health hazard if consumed raw. What does the flywheel mushroom look like, where to find it and how to avoid mistakes when identifying it.
What do flywheel mushrooms look like?
All flywheel mushrooms, photos and descriptions of which are given below, have similar characteristics. Their cap is cushion-shaped, hemispherical, velvety to the touch; in wet weather it can be sticky and slippery. Its diameter can reach up to 12-15 cm. The color of the cap can vary from light brown with a golden tint to cognac. The color of the tubular layer changes with age from light orange to greenish-brown. The leg is dense, smooth, may be slightly wrinkled, without a covering. It is usually yellow-brown. The flesh of the mushroom may have a yellowish or pinkish tint.
Where do flywheel mushrooms grow?
The moss moss got its name because it most often grows in moss. Its distribution area is quite wide. Moss fly is found in deciduous and mixed forests in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, and can even be found in the tundra. This fungus has become a soil saprophyte; some species can parasitize plant debris or even other fungi. Moss fly forms mycorrhizae with coniferous and deciduous trees and is often found on old stumps or fallen trees.
Varieties of moss mushrooms
Moss mushrooms are quite similar to classic porcini mushrooms. Therefore, some mycologists even classify them as boletus mushrooms, but most scientists still consider these mushrooms to be a separate genus. Here are some varieties and photos of moss mushrooms that are included in it:
- Porosporous. It has a convex cushion-shaped cap with a diameter of up to 8 cm. Its color is gray-brown, with numerous cracks forming a characteristic mesh. The flesh of the mushroom is dense, light, and turns blue when pressed. Has a pronounced fruity aroma. Tubular layer of lemon color. The growth period is from June to September.
- Sandy (swamp, yellow-brown, variegated oiler). The cap is semicircular and becomes cushion-shaped with age. The color of a young mushroom is orange-grayish, changing with age to bright orange, sometimes darkening to ocher. With age, the surface of the cap cracks and becomes scaly. The leg is dense, cylindrical or club-shaped, thickened at the bottom. The pulp is dense, light, and turns blue when cut.Has a pronounced pine aroma. It usually grows in large groups in coniferous and mixed forests, from June to October.
- Velvet (waxy, frosty, matte). This species has a semicircular or cushion-shaped cap measuring from 4 to 12 cm. Its color varies from light brown to rich with a reddish tint. The skin of the cap is smooth; cracks may appear only in some mushrooms in adulthood. The tubular layer is olive or yellow-green. The leg is smooth and can be up to 2 cm thick. It is yellow, sometimes with a reddish tint. The pulp is yellowish, dense in consistency, turning blue at the break. This type of moss fly grows mainly in deciduous forests with a predominance of oak, beech, and hornbeam, and can also be found in coniferous forests, where it forms mycorrhiza with spruce and pine. The period of active growth occurs in August-September.
- Green. The most typical representative of moss fly mushrooms. It has a semicircular cap with a diameter of up to 15 cm. On top it is greenish-brown or olive-brown, velvety to the touch. The tubular layer is dark green and turns blue when cut. The leg is light brown, dense, usually thickened at the top. The mushroom pulp is loose and has the aroma of dried fruit. It is found in both deciduous and coniferous forests, along roadsides, and often grows on anthills and old rotten wood. As a rule, it is found in single specimens, rarely in groups.
- Chestnut (brown, dark brown). The cap is olive-brown, grows up to 10 cm in diameter. In damp weather it darkens, turning brown, and is often covered with a white coating. With age, cracks appear on the skin. The leg is usually smooth, cylindrical, but can become bent with age. Has a brown or pinkish tint.The pulp of a young mushroom is dense, becoming loose with age. In case of mechanical damage, its color does not change, remaining creamy, and no characteristic bluing is observed. Chestnut flywheel has a very wide growing range, found in individual specimens or large groups in mixed forests, forming mycorrhiza with spruce or birch. Active growth of the fungus is observed from July to October.
- Red (reddish, blushing). It got its name from the color of the cap, which can vary from pinkish-purple to cherry or red-brown. The size of the cap can reach 8 cm in diameter, the shape is pillow-shaped. The pulp is medium dense, yellow, turns blue when damaged. The leg is cylindrical, slightly thickened in the lower part, yellow, brown-red below. It grows in August-September, most often found as single specimens in deciduous forests in well-lit areas: edges, old roads, clearings.
- Larch. The mushroom strongly resembles a lamellar one, but this similarity is purely external. The cap can reach 20 cm in diameter, it is semicircular, with the edges strongly turned inward, and becomes flat-convex with age. Its color is dirty brown, the surface is dry, velvety to the touch. The tubular layer is thin, greenish-yellow. The tubes extend strongly onto the stalk, visually enhancing the resemblance to agaric mushrooms. The pulp is light yellow, medium density, turns blue when cut. The leg is thickened downward, velvety to the touch, brownish. These mushrooms grow in August-September in mixed forests with the obligatory presence of larch. Found only in Russia, the main growing area is Siberia, Khabarovsk Territory, Far East, Sakhalin.
- Motley (yellow-fleshed, fissured).The size of the cap of this type of moss fly can reach 10 cm. It is semicircular, convex, slightly felt-like. The color is brown or brown, reddish in places of numerous small cracks and along the edge of the cap. The tubular layer is pale yellow-green, becoming more green with age. The pulp is quite loose, yellowish, at the break it first turns blue and then becomes reddish. The leg is cylindrical, solid, often curved, the color is red, turning into brown. When pressed, it quickly turns blue. It grows from July to October, mainly in deciduous forests. It is quite rare and does not form large colonies.
- Chestnut (Polish, pansky mushroom). The cap is up to 20 cm in diameter, strongly convex, semicircular, becomes more voluminous with age and takes on a pillow-like shape. Color ranges from light brown to chocolate and almost black. The skin of the cap is velvety, pleasant to the touch; in wet weather it can be slippery and shiny. The pulp is very dense, light yellow, when mechanically damaged it turns a little blue, then turns brown, after which it becomes lighter again. The leg is cylindrical, thickened below, light brown at the bottom and lighter at the top, dense. It is found in many regions of Russia, from the European part to the Far East. Usually grows in deciduous or mixed forests with the presence of spruce, less often pine.
Is flywheel an edible mushroom or not?
Most fly mushrooms are classified as edible or conditionally edible mushrooms. The following species are classified as inedible:
- The moss fly is parasitic.
- Wood flywheel.
These species are not eaten due to their bitter or acrid taste.
Taste qualities of flywheel mushroom
The taste of most types of moss mushrooms is well defined, mushroomy, and in some species it is slightly sweet.At the same time, fruit tones are clearly visible in the aroma.
Benefits and harm to the body
The fruiting bodies of the mushroom contain many substances beneficial to human health. The pulp of the flywheel is rich in calcium and molybdenum, it contains vitamins PP and D. Mushrooms are considered a low-calorie food, and they are quite capable of replacing the protein of animal origin necessary for the body. People with gastrointestinal diseases and liver diseases should use these products with caution.
How to distinguish false flywheels
It is quite difficult to confuse flywheel with any mushroom. They do not have deadly poisonous counterparts, and this greatly facilitates the task of mushroom pickers in recognizing this species. Below are several inedible species of flyweed that may be mistaken for edible.
- The moss fly is parasitic. The fruiting bodies of this mushroom are small in size and can be found on false puffballs. They usually grow in groups, and the size of the cap of the parasitic flywheel does not exceed 5 cm. It is semicircular, brown-yellow, dense, and velvety to the touch.
The mushroom stalk is thin, cylindrical, usually curved. Its color is yellow-brown, darker underneath. The parasitic flywheel is not poisonous, but is not eaten due to its poor taste.
- Gall mushroom, or mustard. The cap is semicircular, up to 15 cm in diameter, becoming flatter and pillow-shaped with age. The skin is pleasant to the touch, velvety, in damp weather it becomes slippery and shiny. Its color is yellow-gray-brown. The tubular layer is pinkish and turns red when pressed.
The leg is thick, cylindrical, and may be club-shaped with a thickening at the bottom.It is brown with a mesh pattern, darker at the bottom. It grows all summer and until mid-autumn in pine or mixed forests with a predominance of spruce. It is not eaten because of its bitter taste, which does not disappear with any processing.Important! The gall mushroom never produces worms. - Pepper mushroom (pepper mushroom). Outwardly, these mushrooms really look more like butter mushrooms than fly mushrooms. They have a semicircular convex cap, with age it becomes flatter, reaching a diameter of 7 cm. It is colored red-brown in various shades, often with a yellow or orange border at the edge of the cap. The spore layer is brown or pinkish-brick in color. The pulp is yellow, loose.
The leg is cylindrical, rather thin, and often curved. Its color is yellow, brighter below. When cut, the pepper mushroom turns red. It is not poisonous, but is almost never used as food due to its pungent taste. Some cooks use dried pepper mushroom powder instead of hot peppers.
Collection rules
Collecting fly mushrooms is quite simple, since the risk of taking a poisonous mushroom instead of an edible one is quite insignificant. Similar inedible species are easily identified, so at home, when disassembling and processing forest products, they are easy to discard. You should not take mushrooms with worms, especially if you have a long way home. During the time it takes for the crop to reach the processing point, the worms will not only further spoil the wormy mushroom, but will also infect neighboring ones.
Silent hunting is quite an exciting activity. Communication with the forest and living nature always has a positive effect on the body. In addition, picking mushrooms is a great way to diversify your menu.However, we must also remember that the fruiting bodies of mushrooms are capable of accumulating heavy metals and radionuclides. Therefore, you should not collect them in close proximity to sources of these harmful substances: highways, industrial zones, railways. And also you should not take mushrooms if you are not 100% sure of their edibility and safety.
Use
Moss mushroom can be used for a variety of culinary purposes. It is fried, boiled, used in soups, salted and pickled, mushroom caviar and sauce are prepared from it, and filling for pies. They are often dried for the winter, however, unlike porcini mushrooms, when dried, fly mushrooms turn very black, so the mushroom soup from them then turns out to be dark, although aromatic. Mushrooms can also be frozen.
The Polish (pan) mushroom, which belongs to category 2 in terms of nutritional value, is especially valuable in culinary terms. The rest of the flywheels belong to categories 3 and 4.
A short video on how to pickle mushrooms:
Conclusion
Most mushroom pickers know very well what the moss mushroom looks like and are happy to take it into their basket. Beginners can be advised, if doubts suddenly arise, to consult with more experienced comrades. There is no need to be afraid to ask for advice in such a matter as picking mushrooms. It must be remembered that some species are fatally poisonous, although in the case of flyworms the likelihood of this is very low.
