Content
Panellus soft belongs to the Tricholomov family. He loves to settle on coniferous trees, forming entire colonies on them. This small capped mushroom is distinguished by its delicate flesh, which is how it got its name.
A distinctive feature of the species is that it settles in colonies on the trunks of coniferous trees.
What does a soft panellus look like?
The mushroom has a fruiting body (leg and cap). Its flesh is moderately dense. It is whitish in color, very moist and thin.
The mushroom is small in size
Description of the cap
The cap is very small, from 1 to 2 cm, occasionally found with a diameter of about 3 cm. At first it is more similar in outline to a kidney, then as it grows it acquires a rounded and convex shape. Has slightly jagged edges.The cap grows sideways to the rest of the fruiting body. In young specimens it is sticky and fleecy to the touch. At the base its color is pink with a brown tint, the main part is white. The mushroom is lamellar, the elements are quite thick, whitish or fawn in color, sometimes forked.
Description of the leg
The leg of the soft tender panellus is very short, always lateral, and does not exceed 5 mm in length. Its diameter is on average 3-4 mm. Near the plates (above) the leg is slightly wider. Its entire surface is covered with a coating of small particles resembling cereal. Leg color is white. Its structure is fibrous.
Where and how does it grow
The main fruiting period is autumn, less often it appears at the end of August. Prefers coniferous and mixed forest zones. It covers the trunks of fallen trees and fallen branches. Most of all, soft panellus settles on coniferous remains - fir, spruce, pine.
Is the mushroom edible or not?
Panellus soft has a characteristic pronounced aroma, reminiscent of radish. There is no clear opinion about its edibility. Officially, soft panellus belongs to the inedible category, although there is no confirmation of its toxicity.
Doubles and their differences
Panellus soft has many counterparts among representatives of the Tricholomov family. The most similar to it is the inedible mushroom - panellus astringent. It is distinguished by the fact that it has a yellow color of varying intensity (similar to clay, ocher).Panellus astringentus is very bitter in taste, astringent, and usually grows not on coniferous trees, but on oak. This is the main characteristic by which novice mushroom pickers distinguish it. Also, astringent Panellus, unlike soft ones, can glow in the dark. It contains a special pigment capable of bioluminescence and glows green.
Also a double is the autumn oyster mushroom, a conditionally edible mushroom. The size of its cap does not exceed 5 cm, sometimes without a stem. But it has a darker, gray color and is slightly slimy to the touch. There are specimens of a greenish or brown tint. Autumn oyster mushroom does not settle on coniferous trees, preferring deciduous trees (birch, maple, aspen, poplar).
Conclusion
Penellus soft is a typical representative of its family. Small white caps that cover the trunks of fallen coniferous trees do not attract the attention of lovers of quiet hunting. The mushroom is considered neither toxic nor edible. Therefore, mushroom pickers do not attach much importance to it, avoiding it in search of tasty specimens.
