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Morgan's umbrella is a mushroom representative of the Champignon family, genus Macrolepiote. Belongs to the lamellar group, has other names: Lepiota or Chlorophyllum Morgana.
The mushroom is poisonous, but due to its similarity with other specimens, lovers of quiet hunting often confuse it with edible groups
Consumption of this species poses a serious danger to the human body. Therefore, it is important to be able to distinguish these mushrooms before going into the forest.
Where does Morgan's umbrella mushroom grow?
The species grows in open areas, meadows, lawns, and golf courses. Less commonly, representatives of this species can be found in the forest.They grow both singly and in groups. The fruiting period begins in June and lasts until October. Lepiota Morgana is distributed in the tropical regions of Central and South America, Asia and Oceania. The species can often be found in North America, in particular in the north and southwest of the United States (including in such metropolitan areas as New York and Michigan), and less often in Turkey and Israel. The distribution area in Russia has not been studied.
What does Lepiota Morgana look like?
The mushroom has a brittle, fleshy spherical cap, the diameter of which is 8-25 cm. As it grows, it becomes spread out and depressed in the center.
The color of the cap can be white or light brown, with dark scales in the center
When pressed, the color changes to red-brown. Morgan's umbel is characterized by loose, wide blades that change color from white to olive green as they mature.
The light leg expands towards the base and has fibrous brownish scales
The mushroom is characterized by a movable, sometimes falling off double ring, 12 to 16 cm long. The initially white flesh becomes red with age, with a yellow tint at the break.
Is it possible to eat Chlorophyllum Morgana?
This mushroom is classified as highly poisonous due to the high content of toxic protein in its composition. Consumption of fruiting bodies can cause diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and lead to poisoning, in the worst case, death.
False doubles
One of the false twins of Morgan's umbrella is the poisonous Lepiota inflamosporata. This is a mushroom with a small cap 5-6 cm in diameter, which changes shape as it grows from a convex bell-shaped to an open one.
The surface of the mushroom can be beige, white-yellow or reddish.It has dense scales, especially along the edges of the cap.
The hollow, fibrous stalk reaches up to 8 cm in height. There is an almost invisible ring on its surface.
It is quite rare to see this species. The fruiting period lasts from August to September. The habitats of Lepiota spores are forests of different types. This mushroom variety spreads in small groups
Morgan's umbrella is also often confused with the edible variegated umbrella. The double has a large cap up to 30-40 cm in diameter. It is distinguished by its ovoid shape, which, as it grows, turns into an outstretched umbrella-shaped one.
The surface of the mushroom can be white-gray, whitish or brown. There are large lagging scales on it
The brown cylindrical leg, up to 30 cm high, has a white ring.
The mushroom grows in forests and gardens. Its fruiting period lasts from July to October.
Rules for collection and use
When harvesting, mushroom pickers avoid Morgan's umbrella: due to its high toxicity, the species is strictly prohibited from being used for culinary purposes. The fruiting bodies do not contain substances useful to the human body, so chlorophyllum is of no value even as an external remedy. You can recognize a poisonous mushroom by its ability to change color: due to the high content of poisonous protein compounds, the flesh of Morgan's umbrella turns brown when it comes into contact with oxygen.
Conclusion
Morgan's umbrella is a poisonous mushroom that grows in open areas singly or in groups. The species has several false doubles, which is important for lovers of quiet hunting to take into account. Representatives of this variety can be distinguished by the ability of the pulp to change color when the fruiting body is broken.
