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It can be quite difficult to distinguish false saffron milk mushrooms from real ones, but, nevertheless, the differences are quite obvious. To accurately determine which mushroom grows from the ground, you need to know what the saffron milk doubles look like and what features they have.
Are there false saffron milk caps?
A variety called “false saffron milk cap” does not exist in nature. However, real red mushrooms have counterparts of edible and inedible types, very similar in structure and color. They are called false and are recommended to be carefully examined before adding to the cart.
What mushrooms look like saffron milk caps?
There are no frankly poisonous false mushrooms - all doubles are conditionally edible or inedible due to poor taste. However, you need to know the differences between different mushrooms, since the processing methods for real and false mushrooms are very different, and if you prepare the false type incorrectly, you can be seriously poisoned.
Amber milky
The milkweed belongs to the Russula family and is also called the roan milkweed, the inedible milkweed and the gray-pink milkweed.The false species usually grows in mixed and coniferous forest plantations next to moss, and is often found under spruce and pine trees, in wetlands.
Most amber lacticians can be seen in August and September, although they appear in forests as early as July.
Pink wave
Another doppelgänger from the Russula family, which has its own differences, is the pink trumpet, which grows in mixed forests and birch groves. It is usually found in damp areas and actively bears fruit in August and September.
Papillary milkweed
The mushroom, also called the large milk mushroom, also belongs to the Russula family. Unlike previous false varieties, it prefers sandy light soils and is most often found in the northern regions near birch trees. The peak growth of mushrooms similar to saffron milk caps traditionally occurs in August and early September.
What false saffron milk caps look like
To distinguish inedible or poisonous mushrooms that look like saffron milk caps, you need to have a good understanding of their external features. They have quite a lot of similar features, but there are also differences.
Appearance of the amber milky
The false mushroom has a pinkish-brown or grayish cap with a tubercle in the middle part. At a young age, the cap is spread out and flat; as it matures, it takes on the shape of a funnel, and the edges of the cap are curved down. Usually the surface of the skin is dry and glossy, but on rainy days it can become slippery. The lower part of the cap is covered with frequent plates of a descending type, white, pinkish or beige in color.
The leg of the milkweed is amber in the same color as the cap, but in the upper part it is a little lighter. The mushroom grows up to 9 cm in height, the diameter of the stem can be up to 2 cm. The structure is quite loose, hollow from the inside.When cut, the mushroom has light yellow, fragile and loose flesh; it does not change color when exposed to air, but releases watery juice.
Appearance of a pink wave
It is quite difficult to confuse pink mushroom with saffron milk cap, but sometimes the differences between adult mushrooms turn out to be minimal. The volnushka has a large dense cap up to 12 cm in diameter, convex in young species and flat in adults. There is a small depression in the center of the cap, the edges are turned inward and pubescent, and concentric circles diverge along the surface of the cap. The color of the mushroom is similar to saffron milk cap, but paler - the mushroom, in accordance with its name, is usually light pink or grayish-pink, and the surface of its cap is slimy. The bottom of the mushroom is covered with white or pinkish frequent plates going down the stem.
The height of the wave usually rises to 6 cm above the soil surface. Its stem is cylindrical and hard, dense in young fruiting bodies, and hollow in adults. You can see small pits and fluff on the stem; the color is identical to the shade of the cap. The pulp is white, dense and juicy, does not change its color when cut, and produces white milky juice.
From the point of view of nutritional value, pink trumpet is conditionally edible; it can be used as food, but only after long processing. Therefore, it is dangerous not to notice the differences and confuse it with a completely edible mushroom that requires almost no processing; hastily prepared trumpet mushroom can easily cause poisoning.
Appearance of the papillary lacticifer
The false papillary lacticaria is most similar in structure to the orange mushroom.It also has a flat cap with a tubercle in the center, although in young mushrooms the cap is concave and straightens only as it matures. The diameter of the cap can reach 9 cm, it feels dry and fibrous to the touch, and its color is bluish-brown, gray-brown, slightly pinkish or even with a purple tint. Milky mushrooms are often referred to as porcini mushrooms, similar to saffron milk caps, because depending on the conditions they can be very light in color. The plates on the underside of young papillary lactaries are whitish, while in adults they are red, narrow and frequent, descending onto the stalk.
The mushroom rises above the ground by an average of 7 cm in height, its stem is cylindrical and thin, up to 2 cm in diameter. In an adult milkweed, the leg is hollow inside and smooth; in color at a young age it is light, but then acquires the shade of a cap.
If you cut the papillary milkweed, its flesh will be dense, but brittle and uneven. When cut, the false species releases a small amount of milky juice; both the pulp and the juice are white in color.
The mushroom belongs to the category of conditionally edible - its smell is coconut, and its taste is bitter and unpleasant. Therefore, before eating it, it is soaked for a long time in salted water to improve its taste, and is most often consumed in pickling.
How to distinguish saffron milk cap from false saffron milk cap
The main similarity between real and false mushrooms is the structure of the cap and stem. True saffron milk cap, like its poisonous counterparts, has a wide cap with a small depression in the center and curved edges. You can often notice diverging circles on the surface of the cap, which is why it is confused, for example, with a pink wave. The underside is also covered with thin plates, and the leg has a cylindrical shape.
Since there are many varieties of the true orange mushroom, it is often difficult to distinguish the false mushroom from the true one by color. The mushroom can have an orange, brownish, gray-brown, brown, greenish or pinkish color, the color depends on the species, the place of growth, and the age.
However, there are quite enough differences between real saffron milk cap:
- The main difference is the color of the milky juice. If you cut a real saffron milk cap, its flesh will release a certain amount of orange or reddish liquid. In false doubles, the juice is usually white. In addition, the milky juice of camelina quickly turns green or brown in the air, but the juice of false doubles does not change its color.
- A similar difference applies to the pulp. When broken, the true form is usually orange or pinkish in color, and its flesh also quickly changes color when exposed to air - becoming green or reddish depending on the type. This is not typical for false doubles; after some time, their cut flesh may only turn slightly yellow.
- Another difference is that if you press from below on the blades of spruce, pine or red camelina, a greenish spot will remain under your finger.
The difference between false and real camelina lies in the places of distribution. True species grow mainly in coniferous forests - pine forests form a symbiosis with pines, spruce trees are found under spruce trees. In birch forests and mixed plantings they can be found less frequently, unlike false ones, which are widespread everywhere.
Conclusion
It is quite simple to distinguish false saffron mushrooms from real ones suitable for consumption - the main differences are in the color of the milky juice and pulp. However, if you have the slightest doubt, it is better to refuse the mushroom and leave it in the forest.
