Mushroom "bloody tooth"
There are a large number of amazing and creepy organisms in the world. One of these is the bloody tooth mushroom. It is difficult not to notice it, tk. it looks like a bleeding marshmallow.
Bloody tooth mushroom
Description
Mushrooms are interesting organisms that contain little from both plants and animals. They number more than 100,000 species, but at this stage in the study of the kingdom of Mushrooms, mycologists are inclined to believe that about 250,000 more species will be described. Among them are both edible and poisonous. One of them is Peck's gidnellum, which is also called a bloody tooth. This name was invented by the mycologist Charles Horton Peck. And this species was first described by the scientist-mycologist James Bunker in 1913.
Structure
A bleeding tooth fungus has the following structure:
- fruiting body;
- hat;
- leg;
- spore powder;
- pulp.
Appearance
This species is characterized by the following external qualities:
- Lumpy cap of irregular shape, about 8 cm in diameter. The surface is silky.
- The color of the body changes as it matures: from light, pinkish-cream to brown and red-brown. There are specimens with a blue tint.
- A bright red liquid appears on young hydnellums. It breaks through the pores in the fruiting body itself. These droplets attract insects with their sweet scent. The midge dies in the liquid and thereby provides the fungus with the substances it needs.
- The back of the cap is covered with smooth spines. Because of their appearance, the mushroom itself was called a tooth. The older Hydnellum Peka gets, the darker these "thorns" become.
- The leg is short, no more than 6 cm.
- The flesh is brown with yellow veins.
- Below on the "thorns" is a brown spore powder, which means it is a kind of hymenophore. Therefore, the name "thorns" is not entirely true.
Spread
In our latitudes, hydnellum Peka is found in isolated cases. It appears in the fall and grows from September to November in the woods. Distributed in Australia, North America and central Europe. Hydellums can be seen in Korea and Iran.
The bleeding forest mushroom loves sand - it is easier to absorb moisture from it. It is impossible to meet large groups of these organisms, they grow one by one.
Edibility
A bleeding tooth is an inedible fungus. There is unverified information that it is one of the most venomous species on the planet. Although gidnellum belongs to agaric, being a relative of champignon, it is not worth eating.
Taste qualities
The mushroom tastes bitter
The smell is similar to that of strawberries, but is weak. The fruiting body tastes bitter.
Similar species
Species similar to bloody teeth are also inedible. The most famous are the following:
- Hydnellum rusty: can be distinguished by the color of the fruiting body. At the stage of maturity, it acquires a brown-rusty color. The drops on the surface are also red.
- Hydnellum blue: grows in forest mosses in northern Europe. Covered with red drops, but the body of the mushroom itself is blue.
- Hydnellum odorous: light-colored organism with bluish "thorns".The liquid does not emit.
Medicinal qualities
In the past, this organism was used to make a dye. Despite being inedible, a bloody tooth has beneficial properties. Physicians highly value the atromentin pigment contained in this organism. He heals people from blood clots. Also, the pigment prevents blood clots.
The repulsive appearance does not negate its useful qualities. The bloody tooth mushroom has antibacterial properties. According to medical research, gidnellum can fully replace penicillin.
additional information
Hydellum Peks cannot absorb carbon dioxide. Therefore, they are saturated with useful substances from the soil and insects, which die from drops on the cap. The use of insects in the diet of gidnellum suggests that they live in places where the soil is poor in nitrogen. This is what made other species of living organisms, for example, sundews from the plant kingdom, "learn" to hunt insects in order to get the nitrogen that is so necessary for building your body. The mushroom is also called "devil's tears", "bleeding hedgehog" and "strawberries with cream". If you prepare an alcoholic tincture on liquid from a bloody tooth, you can quickly get rid of bruises. This infusion is capable of healing wounds.
Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
The characteristic release of a red liquid on the surface of the cap is considered an analogue of guttation (the process of removing excess moisture through special water stomata - hydatodes) of flowering plants and is observed in a number of wood-destroying aphyllophoric fungi. Apparently, "excess" fluid occurs due to the intensive metabolic process (metabolism) in the body of the fungus during its rapid growth.
In 2012, a bleeding mushroom was found in the forests of Buryatia. The same species was found in the Nizhny Novgorod region four years later. It cannot be cut off - it is listed in the Red Data Books of different countries. If, while walking into the forest, you see this original mushroom, take a picture of it, and transfer information about the location to nature conservation organizations. This will help protect the extremely rare species from extinction from the face of the Earth.
Conclusion
Gidnellum Peka looks like a shapeless body bleeding. It has a persistent strawberry scent. This view is one of the wonders of nature.
