Content
Earwort is a mushroom that is found everywhere in the forests of Kazakhstan and Russia. Another name for Tapinella panuoides is Panus-shaped tapinella. The fleshy light brown cap resembles an auricle in appearance, which is why the mushroom got its Russian name. It is often confused with milk mushrooms, but they have a lot of differences.
Where does the eared pig grow?
This mushroom culture can be found in any region of the country with a temperate climate. It grows in forest zones (coniferous, deciduous, mixed forests), in particular at the edge of the forest, more often it can be found near swamps and reservoirs, and rarely found in meadows. Tapinella panus grows on a bed of moss, on dead tree trunks and their rhizomes. The eared piglet spores on the wooden supports of old buildings. With its growth, the crop provokes the destruction of the tree. Most often found in large families, single specimens are less common.
What does an ear-shaped pig look like?
For most types of pigs, a characteristic feature is the absence of a leg. The ear-shaped pig has it, but it is very short and thick, visually it merges with the body of the mushroom.The cap is fleshy, the color can be light brown, brown, dirty yellow. The flattened, rounded surface reaches 11-12 cm in diameter, its thickness can reach up to 1 cm. The shape of the cap resembles a cockscomb, auricle or fan: on one side it is flattened, and on the other – even. The edges of the cap are uneven, wavy or jagged, reminiscent of ruffles. The surface of the cap is matte, rough, velvety. In old mushrooms, the surface becomes completely smooth.
Ear mushroom belongs to the lamellar mushrooms. The plates are thin, light yellow, close to each other, fused at the base of the cap.
In young mushrooms, the flesh is hard, rubbery, cream or dirty yellow, while in older ones it becomes loose and spongy. If you cut off Tapinella Panus, the damaged area will become dark and brown. The aroma of the pulp is coniferous and resinous. When dried, it turns into a sponge.
The spores are oval, smooth, brown. Spore powder is light brown or dirty yellow in color.
Is it possible to eat eared pig?
Until the early 90s, the species was classified as a conditionally edible crop; it has a slightly toxic effect on the body. The eared pig has the ability to absorb heavy metal salts from the atmosphere. Due to the deteriorating environmental situation, the culture has become toxic. The pulp also contains toxic substances - lectins, which provoke the clumping of red blood cells in the human body. These toxic substances are not destroyed during cooking and are not removed from the human body. In large quantities, consumption of Tapinella panus can cause the development of serious diseases and even lead to death.After a series of serious poisonings, the earworm was recognized as a poisonous mushroom.
Similar species
The eared piglet resembles the yellow milk mushroom in appearance, but there are many differences between them. The cap is yellower and darker, smooth, and has a small stalk that holds the cap above the soil level. The edge of the cap of the yellow milk mushroom is smooth, rounded, the center is depressed, funnel-shaped.
Yellow milk mushroom grows in coniferous forests, on the soil, is hidden under the thickness of fallen leaves and needles, and does not parasitize on tree trunks. It belongs to the conditionally edible species, since when pressed on the plates it releases bitter, caustic juice. During the cooking process, during heat treatment, this drawback can be eliminated.
The period of collecting milk mushrooms coincides with the period of fruiting of the eared pigs - from mid-July to the end of September. Mushroom pickers should carefully inspect each mushroom so as not to take a poisonous specimen into the basket.
The eared pig is similar to oyster mushrooms. These fungi also parasitize on the trunks of weak, diseased trees, stumps, dead wood, and have a flattened, depressed and smooth cap, shaped like an auricle. They also grow in large families, like the Panus Tapinella. But the color of oyster mushrooms is light or dark gray, they have a thin, short stalk of white color. Oyster mushrooms are smaller than ear-shaped sow mushrooms, the diameter of their cap does not exceed 10 cm. The cap of oyster mushroom is more even and smooth, the flesh is hard and rubbery, like that of young Panus-shaped tapinella. Oyster mushrooms appear later, from the end of September, and can bear fruit until the beginning of December. These mushrooms are edible and are currently grown on an industrial scale.
Application
The toxins contained in the pulp of the eared pig are not destroyed by soaking and repeated heat treatment; when they enter the human body, they are not eliminated, slowly poisoning it. The first signs of intoxication may appear 3-4 days after consumption. In this regard, the culture is classified as a poisonous species; collecting and eating it is prohibited.
Pigweed ear poisoning
When ingested, Tapinella panusoida causes vomiting, diarrhea, and cardiac arrhythmias. Consumption in large quantities leads to impaired vision, breathing, pulmonary edema and acute renal failure. Symptoms of poisoning may not appear immediately, but several days after eating the eared pig. When consumed with alcohol, the mushroom can cause hallucinations and later drug addiction. Since 1993, the State Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Supervision of the Russian Federation has banned the consumption of all types of pigs for food.
Conclusion
The earworm is an inedible agaric fungus that parasitizes the trunks and rhizomes of dead trees. Eating it leads to serious poisoning, and in large quantities can be fatal. In this regard, it is recommended to refuse to collect all types of pigs.
