Content
Winter polypore or winter polyporus is an annual mushroom. From the name it is clear that it tolerates winter well. It is considered a very expensive mushroom. It is found quite often in deciduous and mixed forests, both alone and in families.
Under the cap of the tinder fungus there are clearly defined wide spores
Description of the winter tinder fungus
Polyporus winter belongs to the hat-footed representatives. The cap is flat, up to 10 cm in diameter, covered with short hairs. It has a tubular texture and a pale cream color. The pores are large and visible to the naked eye. The edges of the cap are usually curved downwards. In the mature species, a pit (depression) appears in the upper center.The color varies depending on age: brown-yellow, brown-gray, brown, and sometimes blackish. Spores ripen under the cap and become white.
The leg of the polyporus is dense to the touch, light brown, grows on average up to 6 cm, sometimes up to 10 cm, diameter up to 1 cm. The trunk has small veins, velvety to the touch, with black spots on the surface.
This species has white, rather elastic flesh. It is dense in the stem, but elastic in the cap. In a mature representative, the flesh becomes yellowish and hard. There is no characteristic mushroom taste. There is no smell when drying.
The color shades of this representative of the fungus may vary depending on the climate and location of its growth.
Where and how does it grow
This type of mushroom grows in central Russia and up to the Far East.
Most often it grows alone, although both small and large groups occur. Winter tinder fungus grows in the following places:
- wood from deciduous trees (birch, linden, willow, rowan, alder);
- broken branches, weakened trunks;
- rotten wood;
- edge of the road;
- bright areas.
Growing on trees, this forest dweller infects them with white corrosive rot. Causes damage to park facilities and wooden buildings.
Although this representative is called winter, it can also be classified as a spring-summer representative of the forest. The winter tinder fungus appears in early May. The second period of appearance is the end of autumn. Active growth occurs in July-October.
Is the mushroom edible or not?
This mushroom representative is considered an inedible specimen. The pulp is hard. Does not have a characteristic mushroom smell. There are no taste qualities. It is useless to eat.
Some mushroom pickers believe that while the fruiting body of the mushroom is quite young, the caps can be used as food in boiled or dried form. But don’t take risks - it ranks last in terms of nutritional value.
Doubles and their differences
To inexperienced mushroom pickers, all tinder fungi look about the same. The mushroom has several doubles. The most common among them are:
- Polyporus variable. It has a characteristic short and thin stem and a lighter cap. Inedible. Has a pleasant smell.
- Chestnut polypore (Polyporus badius). It features more glossy legs and larger sizes. It is an inedible mushroom.
Conclusion
Winter polypore is an annual mushroom. Appears in deciduous and mixed forests, on roads. It grows both alone and in families. It is an inedible specimen.
