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The cap basidiomycete from the large family Svinushkovye is Gyrodon bluish. In scientific sources you can find another name for the fungus - bobwhite, or the Latin name - Gyrodon lividus. As the name suggests, the trumpet mushroom prefers to grow near deciduous trees, mainly under alder.
What does a bluish gyrodon look like?
The cap of a young Basidiomecete has a semicircular shape. Over time, it becomes cushion-shaped, slightly depressed in the center. Its diameter can vary from 3 to 15 cm.
The edges of the cap are thinned, slightly tucked, and later acquire a wavy shape.
The surface of the mushroom is dry, velvety, and becomes smooth over time. With increased air humidity, the skin of the bluish gyrodon becomes sticky.
The color of the cap of a young specimen is sandy, olive, light. In the old fruiting body it becomes rusty-brown, yellow, and dark.
The reverse side of the cap is covered with a thin layer of hymenophore, which is formed from thin and short tubes descending onto the stalk and growing to it. They form large labyrinthine pores, first golden and then dark olive in color. If you press on the surface of the hymenophore, it will turn blue or green, and eventually turn brown.
The leg grows cylindrical in shape, thinner at the base, and its location is central. At first it is smooth, but over time it bends and becomes thinner. Its length does not exceed 9 cm, and its thickness is 2 cm.
In young specimens, the leg is covered with a powdery coating and becomes completely smooth over time. Its color is always identical to the color of the cap, but it can also be a little lighter.
The upper part of the leg is uniformly yellow, this is due to the downward hymenophore
The spongy, loose, fleshy flesh of the cap of the bluish gyrodon is almost always pale and yellow. On the stem it is darker and tougher, more fibrous. If you cut it, it will turn brown and later turn dark blue. Smell and taste are not expressed.
The spores are ellipsoidal in shape, can be round, quite wide, with a slight yellow tint. Their size is from 5 to 6 microns.
Where does the bluish gyrodon grow?
The mushroom grows in deciduous forests throughout Europe, rarely in Western Russia, and is also found in Israel. In some countries it is included in the Red Book.
This basidiomycete often forms mycorrhizae with alder, but can also be found near other deciduous crops.
Gyrodon bluish grows in groups on well-moistened soil, destroyed stumps, and can also form in sandy loam soils and mosses.
Is it possible to eat bluish gyrodon
The mushroom is edible, does not contain toxic substances, and does not pose a danger to human health. Young basidiomycetes have a good taste; over time, the nutritional value and taste decrease sharply. The flesh of the bluish gyrodon does not have a pronounced taste or aroma.
False doubles
The mushroom has a spongy hymenophore structure and olive color that are characteristic only of it. These features clearly distinguish the bluish gyrodon from other representatives of the forest. No poisonous counterparts were found in the representative of the Pig family.
But there is an edible brother - Girodon merulius. These types are completely identical.
There are only two differences: the darker color of the fruit body and the mustard spongy hymenophore
Collection rules
They go on a mushroom hunting trip in mid-summer or early September. The bluish gyrodon appears with the arrival of autumn and bears fruit until the first frost.
You can find it in a forest where deciduous trees predominate, mainly alder. There is no point in delaying collection, because the most delicious specimens are young and not overripe. They can be distinguished by their light, smooth cap; in older mushrooms it becomes dark and rusty in color.
You should not collect hemlocks near roads and industrial enterprises; all mushrooms absorb heavy metal salts from polluted air well.
Use
After collection, the bluish gyrodon needs to be processed in the next few hours, since its pulp quickly loses its shape and oxidizes.The fruiting body is washed under running water, cleaned of dirt, adhering leaves, sand and moss residues.
Then the mushroom is boiled for half an hour in salted water, the brine is drained, and the procedure is repeated. Next, boiled bluish gyrodon is prepared to taste.
This mushroom is not suitable for harvesting, drying, pickling, or pickling. Its pulp quickly deteriorates and, when damaged, becomes an unsightly blue color.
Conclusion
Girodon bluish is a capped, tubular mushroom that is rarely found in the forest. The species is classified as endangered. The hemlock has no nutritional value, but its collection is not prohibited - the fruiting body does not contain substances hazardous to humans. Presumably, this basidiomycete belongs to the 4th category of nutritional value.
