Content
Sawfoil scaly, or Sleeper mushroom, belongs to the conditionally edible species of the Polyporaceae family. Grows in small families on the stumps of coniferous trees. Since it has false doubles, you need to familiarize yourself with the external description, view photos and videos.
What does sawleaf look like?
During a quiet hunt, many mushroom pickers pass by this species, not knowing that it can be eaten and that it has beneficial properties. To recognize scaly sawfoil, you need to know its external characteristics.
Description of the cap
The cap of the scaly sawfoil is rounded and convex, and gradually straightens with age, leaving a small depression in the center. The surface is covered with dirty white or gray-brown skin, which cracks in dry weather. The cap with a diameter of 10 cm or more has numerous brownish-brown scales. The bottom layer is formed by thin plates of a dirty yellow color. Reproduction occurs by microscopic spores, which are located in a whitish powder.
Description of the leg
The cylindrical leg reaches a length of up to 6 cm. Closer to the ground it narrows and becomes root-like and elongated. The surface is covered with whitish skin with red or light brown scales. In young specimens, the flesh is soft, elastic, with a pleasant mushroom taste and smell. With age, it becomes tough, so old mushrooms are not used for food.
Where and how does it grow
Sawfoil prefers to grow on stumps, fallen and rotting coniferous wood. It can also be seen on wooden structures such as sleepers and telegraph poles. To preserve wooden buildings, railway workers treat products with antiseptics. But this representative is not harmed by drugs, and it continues to grow and develop in the same place. Due to this, scaly sawfoil has a second name: Sleeper mushroom. Fruiting occurs throughout the warm period, but the peak occurs in mid-summer.
Is the mushroom edible or not?
The mushroom is conditionally edible, but due to its place of growth it does not have many fans. The harvested fruit can be used to prepare fried, boiled or canned dishes.
Due to its beneficial and medicinal properties, this representative of the forest kingdom has gained popularity among mushroom pickers from the East. In dried form, scaly sawfoil has antitumor properties. When this representative of the forest kingdom is consumed in fried and stewed dishes, the body receives a large amount of useful substances that fight infectious diseases.
Doubles and their differences
Scaly sawfoil has a characteristic appearance, so it is very difficult to confuse it with other species. But this representative has related counterparts:
- Goblet - inedible forest dweller. Grows on rotting and fallen deciduous wood. You can recognize it by its funnel-shaped cap of reddish-whitish color. With age, the surface fades and becomes pure white. The leg is thick and short, completely covered with plates. The pulp is elastic and dense with a pleasant fruity aroma.
- brindle – belongs to the 4th group of edibility. Only young specimens are eaten. The dense flesh is snow-white in color and turns red when mechanically damaged. It can be found on fallen coniferous trees from early summer to mid-September.
Conclusion
Sawfoil scaly is a conditionally edible mushroom that grows on rotten fallen wood. Young specimens collected in an environmentally friendly place are eaten. Fruiting lasts throughout the warm period, but July is considered the most productive month. Since this species has inedible brothers, you need to carefully study the external description and look at the photo before a quiet hunt.
