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Scutellia thyroid (lat. Scutellínia scutellata) or saucer-shaped is a small mushroom with a rather unusual shape and bright color. It is not a poisonous species, however, its nutritional value is low, which is why the species is not of particular interest to mushroom pickers.
What does Scutellina thyroid look like?
In young specimens the fruiting body is spherical. As it matures, the cap opens and takes on a cup-shaped shape, and then becomes almost flat. Its surface is smooth, painted in a rich orange color, which sometimes turns into light brown tones. A distinctive feature of the species is the stiff bristles that run in a thin line along the edge of the cap.
The pulp is quite brittle and has an inexpressive taste. Its color is reddish-orange.
There is no clearly defined leg - this is a sessile variety.
Where and how does it grow
The preferred growth sites are dead wood, which means rotten stumps, fallen and rotting trunks, etc. Mushrooms rarely grow alone; most often it is possible to find small dense groups.
Is the mushroom edible or not?
Scutellia thyroid is not an edible species due to its small size. Its nutritional value is also low.
Doubles and their differences
Aleuria orange (lat. Aleuria aurantia) is the most common counterpart of this species. In common parlance, the mushroom is also called orange beetle or pink-red saucer. It is represented by a fairly compact fruiting body in the shape of a cup or saucer, the dimensions of which do not exceed 4 cm in diameter. Sometimes the cap looks like an auricle.
A distinctive feature of a double is the presence of curved edges. In addition, there are no hard bristles at the ends.
They also grow in different places. While scutellinia thyroid settles on dead trees, orange aleuria prefers edges, lawns, roadsides and forest paths. The twin bears fruit from July to September.
Despite the fact that orange aleuria is suitable for consumption (conditionally edible), it is not popular. This is explained by the low value of the species and its small size, as is the case with many representatives of this family.
Conclusion
Scutellia thyroid is a small mushroom that is not of particular interest from a culinary point of view. Its taste is inexpressive, as is its smell, and the size of the fruiting bodies is too small.
You can learn more about what scutellinia thyroid looks like from the video below:
