Content
Larch trihaptum (Trichaptum laricinum) is a tinder fungus that grows mainly in the taiga. The main habitat is dead wood of coniferous trees. Most often it can be found on stumps and larch trunks, but it is also found on spruce and pine.
What does larch trihaptum look like?
The fruiting bodies have a tiled, fan-shaped structure.
Polypores are spread out on the surface of dead wood
The caps of young specimens resemble rounded shells, while those of older specimens are fused together. Diameter – up to 6-7 cm.
The surface of the mushroom cap is smooth, silky to the touch, the color is grayish or off-white. The pulp resembles parchment, consisting of two thin layers and an inner darker layer.
The reverse side (hymenophore) has a lamellar structure. The divergence of the plates is radial. The color of the hymenophore is lilac, but with age it acquires grayish-brown shades.
Where and how does it grow
In Russia it is found in regions with coniferous forests. It does not belong to the common representatives of the mushroom kingdom. Prefers temperate and cold climates, rarely appearing in hot regions.
The main habitat is coniferous deadwood. Can grow on living trees, causing wood destruction.
Is the mushroom edible or not?
Larch trihaptum is distinguished by the rigid structure of the fruiting body. It is not prepared or consumed. The mushroom has no nutritional value, so it is not collected.
Doubles and their differences
The brown-violet appearance has similar characteristics. This is an annual representative of the mushroom kingdom. The surface has a whitish-gray color and is velvety to the touch. In young representatives, the edge of the cap is lilac, and with age it acquires brownish shades.
Found on fallen coniferous trees, prefers pine, less often spruce. It grows actively during the warm period from May to November. Distributed in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere.
The brown-purple variety is inedible, so no one collects it
Most often it is found on birch trees
It differs from larch in its habitat. Due to the rigidity of the fruiting body, it is not used as food and has no nutritional value.
The spruce subspecies has a flat-toothed hymenophore that does not form radial structures.
Found on spruce, pine and other coniferous deadwood
Listed as inedible specimens.
Conclusion
Trihaptum larch is an inedible mushroom that chooses larch or other conifers for growth. It has several similar species, differing in structure, cap color and habitat.
