Content
Stereum rugosa is an inedible perennial species that grows on cut down and rotting deciduous trees, less often coniferous trees. The variety is widespread in the northern temperate zone and bears fruit throughout the warm period.
Where does Stereum rugosa grow?
This representative of the mushroom kingdom can be found throughout Russia. But most often it appears in the northern zone on deciduous trees, in mixed forests, parks and forest parks. Settles on dead wood, stumps and rotten wood, rarely appears on living wounded trees.
What does a wrinkled stereoum look like?
The variety has a flattened, hard fruiting body. When growing massively, they grow together, forming long wavy ribbons.They can be recognized by their varietal description.
They may have different appearances:
- The rounded edges are thickened into a small ridge.
- The flat fruit body has a rough surface and wavy, curved edges. The width of the bent edge is no more than 3-5 mm. The hard surface is painted dark brown with a pronounced lightened stripe along the edge.
- A mushroom is rarely found, located on wood in the form of caps with an outstretched common base.
The lower part is smooth, sometimes with small bulges, colored cream or light yellow, turning into pink-brown with age. In dry weather, the fruit body hardens and cracks. When mechanical damage occurs, red milky juice is released. This reaction occurs even in dried specimens if the broken area is first moistened with water.
The pulp is hard or corky, gray in color, has no smell or taste. On the cut of old specimens, thin annual layers are clearly visible.
Reproduction occurs by transparent elongated spores, which are located in a light yellow spore powder. Fruits throughout the warm period.
Is it possible to eat wrinkled stereum?
Stereum rugosa is an inedible species, but not poisonous. Due to its hard pulp and lack of odor, it is not used in cooking.
Similar species
Stereum wrinkled, like any variety, has its counterparts. These include:
- Blood red or blushing, grows in coniferous forests. The fruit body is shell-shaped with curved edges. When dry, the light wavy edges curl downwards. When pressed or damaged, bloody milky juice is released. The fungus settles on dead wood.In the first stage of decomposition, the tree acquires a red-brown color, in the second - snow-white. The variety is inedible.
- Flank or oak, prefers to grow on rotting trunks and oak stumps, rarely settles on birch and maple. The prostrate or cap-shaped fruit body is light brown. With massive growth, the mushrooms merge and occupy an impressive space. When damaged, the pulp releases a red liquid. The mushroom is inedible, odorless and tasteless.
Application
Stereum rugosa continues to develop as a saprotroph after the death of the affected tree. Therefore, the mushroom can be equated to forest orderlies. By decomposing old wood and turning it into dust, they enrich the soil with useful microelements, making it more fertile. Since the mushroom releases red juice when mechanically damaged, it can be used to make paints.
Conclusion
Stereum rugosa is an inedible variety that grows on the trunks of damaged or dry deciduous trees. The species is perennial and bears fruit throughout the warm season. A distinctive feature of the variety is the red milky juice that appears at the slightest damage.
