Content
Conocybe milky white is a lamellar mushroom of the Bolbithiaceae family. In mycology it is known under several names: conocybe milky, Conocybe albipes, Conocybe apala, Conocybe lactea. The biological cycle of the fruiting body is no more than 24 hours. The species has no nutritional value and is classified as inedible.
What do milky white conocybes look like?
Miniature mushroom with contrasting color. The upper part is light cream in color, the lamellar layer is dark brown with a reddish tint. The structure is very fragile, the fruiting body breaks at the slightest touch.
The growing season of the species is short. Within a day, the mushrooms reach biological maturity and die. External characteristics of milky white conocybe:
- At the beginning of growth, the cap is oval, pressed against the stem, after a few hours it opens to a dome-shaped shape, never prostrate.
- The surface is smooth, dry, with radial longitudinal stripes. The central part has a cone-shaped point, one tone darker than the main color of the surface.
- The edges of the cap are wavy, with easily identifiable places for attaching the plates.
- Average diameter – 2 cm.
- The internal part consists of loose thin, narrow, sparsely spaced plates. At the beginning of growth they are light brown, towards the end of the biological cycle they are brick-colored.
- The pulp is very thin, fragile, yellowish.
- The leg is very thin - up to 5 cm long, about 2 mm thick. Equal width at base and cap. The structure is fibrous. When scrapped, it splits into several fragments in the form of a ribbon. The inner part is hollow, the coating is smooth to the top, finely scaly near the cap. The color is milky white, the same as the surface of the cap.
Where do milky white conocybes grow?
The species of saprotrophs can exist only on fertile, aerated, moist soils. Mushrooms grow singly or in small groups. They are found along the edges of irrigated fields, among short grass, along the banks of reservoirs, and in wetlands. Conocybe can be found in forests with different tree species, on forest edges or open glades, in pastures, and floodplain meadows. Appears after precipitation. They bear fruit from the beginning to the end of summer in the Central and Southern regions.
Is it possible to eat milky white conocybe?
No toxicity information available. The small size and fragility of the fruiting body makes the mushroom unattractive in gastronomic terms. The pulp is thin, tasteless and odorless, brittle.The ephemeral mushroom disintegrates upon touch and is simply impossible to harvest. Conocybe milky white belongs to the group of inedible species.
How to distinguish milky white conocybe
Externally similar to conocybe milky white gray dung beetle or coprinus.
Mushrooms are found only in fertile, light soils from late May to September. They begin to bear fruit after heavy rainfall. The distribution area is from the European part to the North Caucasus. They grow in dense, numerous groups. The growing season is also short, no more than two days. Conocybe and coprinus are similar in shape. Upon closer examination, the dung beetle turns out to be larger in size, the surface of the cap is finely scaly. The fruit body is not so fragile and thicker. The main difference: the pulp and spore-bearing layer are dark purple in color. The dung beetle is conditionally edible.
Bolbithus golden, like milky white conocybe, are ephemeral mushrooms.
Bolbithus is similar in size and shape of the fruiting body to conocybe. At maturity, the color of the cap fades and becomes beige. At the beginning of growth, it is a bright yellow mushroom; by the end of the biological cycle, the color remains only in the center of the cap. In terms of nutritional value, the species are in the same group.
Conclusion
Conocybe milky white is a small, inconspicuous mushroom that grows throughout the summer season. Fruits after precipitation, appears singly or in small groups. It is found in the Central and Southern regions near reservoirs, irrigated fields, and forest clearings. The mushroom is not poisonous, but has no nutritional value, therefore it is in the inedible group.
