Content
Chestnut colibia, or butter money, despite its unattractive appearance, belongs to the conditionally edible mushrooms of the Omphalote family. Settles in groups among coniferous and deciduous trees. Fruits from July to November.
What does Collybia chestnut look like?
Buttercollibia is often confused with toadstools, so this species is collected only by experienced mushroom pickers.In order not to make mistakes during a quiet hunt, you need to familiarize yourself with the external description, know the places and period of fruiting, and study the photo.
Description of the cap
Buttercollibia has a hemispherical cap, up to 12 cm in diameter, which opens with age, leaving a small mound in the center. The edges are wavy and raised. The surface is covered with an oily skin, which turns different colors depending on weather conditions. In dry weather it turns brown-red, yellow-brown or coffee color. After rain the cap is much darker.
The spore layer is covered with uneven plates with jagged edges. When young they are painted white; in adult specimens they become gray-yellow. Collibia oilseed reproduces by snow-white elongated spores, which are located in light pink spore powder.
Description of the leg
The leg is cylindrical, widens towards the bottom, up to 10 cm in height. Hollow, its pulp is fibrous, colored brown.
Is the mushroom edible or not?
The variety is classified as conditionally edible, since butter colibia does not have a pronounced taste. When mechanically damaged, the pulp emits a faint odor of dampness or mold. Therefore, before preparing dishes, mushrooms are soaked and boiled. Only the upper part of young specimens is used in cooking, since the pulp in the stem is hard and fibrous. Prepared specimens are good fried, stewed and canned.
Where and how does oil money grow?
Collibia oil prefers to grow in acidic soil, among coniferous and deciduous trees.They grow in large families and are rarely found in single specimens. Oily money begins to bear fruit in July and lasts until the first frost.
Doubles and their differences
Collibia oilum, like any representative of the mushroom kingdom, has doubles. These include:
- Tuberous - a poisonous species of small size. The edges of the hemispherical, red-brown cap are fragile and bent inward. They grow throughout the fall in small families. The variety is often confused with saffron milk caps and russula, so in order not to make mistakes when collecting, you need to know the varietal characteristics.
- Spotted - conditionally edible specimen. The bell-shaped cap is whitish in color at a young age; with age, it straightens and becomes covered with rusty spots. The pulp is dense and fleshy. The variety grows from August to September in large groups in acidic, moist soil.
Conclusion
Chestnut collibia belongs to the 4th edibility group. Prefers to grow in large groups in coniferous and deciduous forests. The variety has poisonous counterparts; in order to avoid food poisoning, you need to know the external characteristics of the edible species.
