Content
Orange oyster mushroom belongs to the Rowadovaceae family, genus Phyllotopsis. Other names: Phyllotopsis nest-shaped/nest-shaped. It is a sessile mushroom without a stalk that grows on trees. The Latin name for orange oyster mushroom is phyllotopsis nidulans.
Where does orange oyster mushroom grow?
The mushroom is quite rare. Distributed in the temperate climate zone of North America and Europe, including Russia. Settles on stumps, dead wood, and branches of trees - both deciduous and coniferous.Grows in small groups, sometimes alone. Fruits in autumn (September-November), in warmer climates and in winter.
What does orange oyster mushroom look like?
It differs from other oyster mushrooms by its noticeable, beautiful fruiting bodies with bright colors.
The cap is from 2 to 8 cm in diameter. It is flat-convex, fan-shaped, pubescent, and grows to the trunk sideways or at the top. In young specimens the edge is turned up, in old specimens it is lowered, sometimes wavy. The color is orange or orange-yellow, darker in the middle, with concentric, rather diffuse striping. The surface is smooth. Mushrooms that have survived the winter look faded.
The pulp is light orange in color, quite thin, dense, and quite tough.
The spore-bearing layer consists of frequent, wide orange or dark orange plates that radiate from the base. The powder is pale pink or brownish-pinkish. The spores are smooth, oblong, elliptical in shape.
Phyllotopsis socket-shaped does not have a stalk.
Phyllotopsis nest-like in the spring forest
Is it possible to eat phyllotopsis nest-shaped
It is classified as conditionally edible, but is practically not used as food due to its hardness, bad smell and unpleasant bitter taste. Some mushroom pickers believe that young specimens are quite suitable for use in cooking. It belongs to the fourth taste category.
Taste characteristics depend on the substrate and age. The smell is described as strong, fruity or melon-like to the point of rot. The taste of a young one is mild, while that of a mature one is putrid.
False doubles
Despite the fact that orange oyster mushrooms are difficult to confuse with other mushrooms, there are several similar species.
Tapinella panus. The main difference is that the fruit body is brown or brownish.The pulp is quite thick, yellowish-creamy or light brown, darkens when cut, smells of resin or pine needles. The size of the cap is from 2 to 12 cm, the surface is velvety, light ocher, yellow-brown, the edge is wavy, jagged, uneven. Its shape is tongue-shaped, cake-shaped, dome-shaped, fan-shaped. The plates are frequent, narrow, creamy, brownish-orange or yellow-orange. Most specimens lack a stalk, but some have one, short and thick. The mushroom is often found in Russia. It is inedible and slightly poisonous.
Tapinella panus is easy to distinguish by the color of the fruit body and the thickness of the pulp.
Phyllotopsis weakly nesting. These mushrooms have brighter fruiting bodies, thinner flesh, and sparse and narrow plates.
Grows in smaller groups, is an inedible species
Crepidote saffron-lamellar. It differs from the orange oyster mushroom in having brownish scales on the surface of the fruiting body. An inedible mushroom with a sessile cap without a stem, it is attached to the place of growth at the top or side edge. The pulp is odorless, thin, white. A hat with a rolled, smooth edge, its size is from 1 to 5 cm, its shape is semicircular, kidney-shaped. Its light skin is covered with small scales of light brown or yellowish-orange color. The plates are frequent, narrow, radially diverging, pale orange, yellow, apricot, with a lighter edge. Grows on the remains of deciduous trees (linden, oak, beech, maple, poplar). Found in Europe, Asia, Central and North America.
Crepidote saffron-plate has noticeable brownish scales
Phyllotopsis nest-shaped is a bit reminiscent of late oyster mushroom, or alder mushroom. The difference is the presence of a short stem and the color of the cap.It can be greenish-brown, olive-yellow, olive, gray-lilac, pearl. The mushroom is conditionally edible and requires mandatory heat treatment.
Late oyster mushroom is distinguished by a layer of pulp under the skin of the cap, reminiscent of gelatin
Rules for collection and use
Experienced mushroom pickers recommend picking only young specimens that are not yet too hard and have not acquired an unpleasant smell or taste. The collection begins in early autumn and can continue even in the cold season. It is very easy to look for orange oyster mushrooms - they can be seen from afar, especially in winter.
Conclusion
Orange oyster mushroom is rarely eaten. One of the most beautiful mushrooms can be used in landscape design, to decorate the yard or garden. To do this, it is necessary to add mycelium to tree trunks and stumps. They look especially impressive in winter.
