Content
Elastic lobe is a member of the genus Helvella, the family of the same name of the Helvella family of the order Peciaceae. The second name is Helvella elastic, or resilient. The species is classified as conditionally edible.
What do elastic blades look like?
The mushroom has an unusual structure: a straight cylindrical stem, a brown cap of a specific shape, resembling in appearance a blade, saddle or potato tuber. At a young age it has a light yellowish color, but as it grows it acquires a brownish-gray tint.
The brown or brownish-beige cap has two compartments, its diameter is 2-6 cm
The light flesh has a thin and brittle structure, despite the name of the species.
The white leg has a classic cylindrical shape, the same thickness at the bottom and top.In some specimens it is curved, up to 5-6 cm in height, with a diameter of no more than 1 cm.
The inside of the stem is completely hollow, making the mushroom easy to break
Spore powder is white, with smooth oval spores.
The elastic paddle is clearly shown in the video:
Where do elastic lobes grow?
The variety can most often be found in areas of deciduous and mixed forests. The period of active fruiting begins in mid-summer and lasts until the end of September. Often the elastic lobe grows in damp places, and in a favorable climate it spreads in the form of large colonies. The main habitats are Eurasia, as well as North and South America.
When the mushrooms form a group, the twisted caps of the fruiting bodies bend in different directions. Mushroom pickers believe that representatives of the Helwellian family serve as “signposts” by which one can navigate the area.
Is it possible to eat elastic paddles?
Since the mushroom is classified as a conditionally edible mushroom, the use of fruit bodies for culinary purposes is allowed only after preliminary heat treatment. In some sources you can find information that the species is completely inedible. This is due to the unpleasant and bitter taste of the pulp, which is why mushroom pickers avoid found specimens.
False doubles
The elastic lobe has characteristic external features, which help to easily distinguish it from other varieties. The fruiting bodies can only be confused with the black lobe (Helvella atra), characterized by a darker shade of the cap and a folded, slightly ribbed stem.
This is a rare representative of the Helwellian family, often growing in large colonies in deciduous and coniferous forests
The main distribution area is the regions of North, South America and Eurasia. The basis of the fruiting body is the stem and cap. The black lobe is unsuitable for consumption and is classified as an inedible group.
Conclusion
Elastic lobe belongs to the fourth, conditionally edible, category of mushrooms and represents the Helwellian family. It can be easily distinguished by the brown color of the cap with a specific shape, as well as by the thin white leg. The variety grows in coniferous and mixed forests and bears fruit from mid-summer to the end of September. Most often it can be found in Eurasia and America. Fruiting bodies can be eaten only after heat treatment. The species has only one counterpart - the inedible black lobe, which can be identified by the darker color of the cap.
