Description of the spiderweb mushroom
One of the most common types of mushrooms in the temperate zone is the spiderweb mushroom. It belongs to the group of conditionally edible mushrooms. The genus Spiderweb from the family of the same name Spiderweb is dangerous because there are poisonous species.
Appearance
The mushroom got its name because of the white "skirt" that falls on the leg and resembles a cobweb. The popular name "Pribolotnik" does not reflect the range of the species, although sometimes it is an absolutely swamp inhabitant. It grows in all types of forests on a variety of soils. This is an autumn genus, the peak of growth falls at the end of August-beginning of September.
The types of Spiderwebs are similar to each other in a number of ways:
- Cylindrical stem with downward extension.
- Remains of a private spider webbing on the upper part of the leg.
- A cap, usually of a conical or flat shape, with plates.
- The pulp is dense, with a smell.
In the spider web, the species differ in the color of the leg and cap, the smell of pulp. Among them there are both edible and poisonous representatives.
Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
The name of the Spiderweb family was given by the French mycologist and phytopathologist of tropical plants Jean Aime Roger (1900-1979), who proceeded from the specifics of the structure of a private bedspread, consisting of spiderweb fibers connecting the edge of the cap with the leg.
Most of the spider webs are mycorrhizal formers, the life processes of which are associated with certain tree species. Among the spiderwebs, there are deadly poisonous specimens. However, there are also useful, edible species. However, they are few in number and of little practical importance. A characteristic feature of the Spiderweb genus is the different color of young and mature specimens, the presence of a rapidly disappearing lilac pigment in many species.
By the way. The Spiderweb genus is subdivided into subgenera that have their own specific characteristics, for example:
- subgenus Mixcium (Myxsacium): there is a mucous general blanket, which determines the mucousness of the cap and legs.
- subgenus Phlegmacium: there is a slimy cap.
- subgenera Hydrocybe and Telamonia: the cap is hygrophilous.
- subgenera Dermocybe (Dermocybe) and Inoloma: the cap is dry, scaly, fibrous.
Mushroom species
The genus includes about 25 species. They are distinguished by their taste and the degree of safety for humans. Some are listed in the Red Book.
Edible species
- Edible webcap, or bbw: the species lives in coniferous plantations. The hat is white-gray, the surface is watery. The pulp is dense, has a weak mushroom smell. The plates are frequent, adherent to the cap. Edible webcap is a type of fungus often found in temperate coniferous forests. In Russia, it is found in the European part. You can find it in Belarus as well.
An edible spider web is characterized by a smooth, dense, whitish-brown leg, in the middle (located in the center) the remains of a cortina (a private spider web), which disappear with age.The length of the leg is usually 2-3 cm with its thickness 1.5-2 cm, which sharply distinguishes this species from other members of the genus.
- The webcap is watery blue, or gray-blue: this species is known on the territory of Russia only in Primorye. However, it is widespread in North America and the countries of the European continent.
- The hat is uniformly colored blue-gray, up to 10 cm in diameter.
- The smell is unpleasant, musty.
- The taste is insipid.
- There is no tuber-shaped thickening on the stem.
It grows under various deciduous trees, but more often under beech and oak. Growth is more group or colonial. Also, in adults, there are no remnants of the bedspread.
The triumphal cobweb is also considered edible. But due to the reduced taste, it should be classified as conditionally edible.
Conditionally edible
The difference between this group and edibles is that conditionally edible ones require preliminary processing. They should not be eaten raw; it is not recommended to eat them fried without prior pre-soaking.
- Triumphal webcap, or yellow has the following characteristics:
- The cap reaches 7-12 cm in diameter, is brownish in the center, and orange-yellow at the edges. The shape is flat or pillow-like. Usually the surface is sticky.
- The pulp has a pleasant smell.
- In young mushrooms, the "web" completely covers the plates. With age, the plates darken to a brownish color.
- The diameter of the leg is 1 cm. Large fruiting bodies have a leg up to 3 cm in diameter. Height up to 15 cm.
This species lives in deciduous forests. They find it under birches and oaks. Often accompanied by milk mushrooms.
- Slime webcap: the main difference from other species is the presence of mucus, abundantly covering the cap. Individuals grow large - up to 12 cm in diameter of the cap, the corresponding leg - up to 20 cm in length.
The pulp in this species is odorless and tasteless. The color ranges from white to cream. The fungus is found in coniferous and mixed forests.
Attention! Do not confuse the view of the slime cobweb with the view of the slimy cobweb.
- Slimy webcap: the cap is covered with a slimy cobweb blanket. The mucus is thick and sometimes even hangs from the uneven edges of the cap. The cap is thinner at the edges than in the center and ranges in color from orange to dark brown. The pulp is white, loose. It also differs in the smaller size of the fruit bodies. The species is characterized by the formation of mycorrhiza with pine plantations.
- The webcap is excellent: its peculiarity is the appearance of the cap and leg. In adults, the cap looks like a bell, of a rich brown or brown color. The diameter of the cap is up to 20 cm. The stem is long, downwardly clearly expands from the cylinder to the cone. The surface of the fruiting body is soft and velvety. In adult mushrooms, it becomes wrinkled. A thin violet-gray stripe is preserved along the edges of the cap. The pulp is white or mixed with blue. She has a pleasant smell and taste. The species bears fruit in large groups, more often found next to birches or beeches. Prefers deciduous forests. By the way. This is a poorly studied species.
- Bracelet cobweb, or red: differs in red or reddish-brown color of the cap. There is no mucus on it. The pulp has a characteristic musty smell. Prefers wet and mossy places. They are found in mycorrhiza with pines or birches. The bracelet cobweb is identified with the help of bright "bracelets" on the leg left over from the cobweb coverlet (cortina) and by the dark hairs on the cap.
- Crimson webcap: got its name from the peculiarity of the pulp. When cut, it takes on a purple color, but in a solid state it is usually bluish or gray. The surface of the cap is sticky. The characteristics of juveniles and adults differ significantly:
- In adults, the cap is flat, slightly concave at the edges. The plates are frequent, with a purple tint. The diameter of the cap is up to 15 cm. The leg is long, with a tuber at the very bottom.The color of the leg is purple, and the cap is olive, brown or brownish with impurities.
- Juveniles have a spherical cap that practically fuses with the stem. The leg itself is barrel-shaped.
- Cobweb cape: differs from the rest of the brethren in the whitish coloration of the leg with a bluish or pinkish tint. The hat is light brown, prefers deciduous forests. The musty smell of the pulp is weak.
- The webcap is changeable: got the name because of the color change during growth. In adults and mature individuals, the colors of the legs and caps are different. The more common name is "multi-colored mushroom". Usually fruiting bodies are small, with an elongated stem. A brown or golden hat is lowered along the edge. The plates are light purple. There is a brownish-red stripe on the stem. In old mushrooms, the plates turn pale and turn brown. The stem is usually white or cream colored. The species bears fruit mainly in the south and east in deciduous plantations.
Poisonous species
- Poisonous webcap: This species is found as often as the edible cobweb. It is because of the abundance of dangerous twins that the edible species of mushroom does not attract even a knowledgeable mushroom picker.
- The webcap is bluish-belted: it is dangerous in that outwardly it practically does not differ from an edible fruit. Hat with a bump in the center, gray with brown. Its lower concave edge has a purple or blue stripe. The pulp is odorless and tasteless. It also forms mycorrhiza with conifers. Inedible.
- Common webcap: characterized by a brown or golden color of the cap. It has a conical shape, the edge is uneven, the surface is mucous. The plates may be uneven. Common cobwebs often have spiral-shaped belts on a leg, which distinguish a poisonous fruit body from an edible one.
- The webcap is beautiful: is a deadly poisonous species with a uniform brownish to reddish orange color. The legs are long, and the caps are conical with uneven ragged edges. There is a protruding tubercle in the center of the cap. The beautiful webcap usually grows in groups.
- Goat webcap, or goat, or smelly: bright blue or bluish color, sometimes rather blue. The peculiarity of the species is the presence of a chemical smell of acetone or a "goat" smell. The hat and the leg are the same color. The smell only intensifies during heat treatment. The goat webcap grows in the same coniferous and mossy forests.
- The webcap is lazy: has a characteristic cap color - reddish with raspberry blotches. Grows in groups in symbiosis with birch and pine. Often the cap and stem are crooked, twisted or broken, with cracks. It is the irregularities and color that distinguish the lazy cobweb species from edible mushrooms.
- The webcap is brilliant: the cap is distinguished by a bright yellow or ocher color. The color of the flesh on the cut is lemon, does not darken. The plates in adults are greenish. The hat is covered in mucus. The toxin in the pulp acts slowly, so the poisoning will not be immediately noticeable.
- Mountain webcap, or plush, or orange-red: a rare species characterized by the following features:
- Outwardly, it looks like a beautiful cobweb, but deceives with a pleasant smell of radish and good taste.
- Dangerous species - poisoning manifests itself 3 days after eating.
- Has a uniform, even color of orange or light brown. The surface is soft and velvety.
Identifying an inedible species is tricky, so don't risk taking a nice-smelling fruiting body into your basket.
- Scaly webcap: looks like an edible species. It is distinguished by a brownish brown color and dark brown scales on the cap. There is a dark spot in the center of the cap. The stem also has dark brown scales, often at the bottom. The smell is faint, but pleasant.
The following types of cobwebs are also considered inedible:
- item chestnut (saffron);
- n. soiling;
- n. the most elegant;
- n. membranous;
- n. very special.
Inedible species destroy the kidneys with their toxins, resulting in intoxication of the body.
Beneficial features
They are limited to standard indicators for mushrooms. This is the presence in the fruit bodies of protein, vitamins and microelements. They contain more vitamins A and group B than fruits and vegetables.
Contraindications
Even edible mushrooms are contraindicated:
- Pregnant women, the elderly and children up to 7-8 years old.
- People with a weak stomach, intestines, suffering from various abnormalities in the gastrointestinal tract.
- People with individual intolerance.
You cannot eat edible mushrooms collected in the city and nearby busy highways, factories, and the private sector.
Application
Cooking
Cobweb mushrooms are considered a delicacy, they have a great nutty taste. The fat woman is delicious fried or stewed with sour cream or cream. Decoctions from the bbw are used to make broth. Edible fruiting bodies are also pickled and dried, but this can lead to a loss of most of the flavor.
An excellent webcap is dried or pickled only after a long soaking and boiling. Young specimens are suitable for pickling and salting. For your information. The shiny bloom on the crimson spiderweb cap disappears when dried.
The medicine
They are used to obtain probiotics and extract valuable microelements. In industry, dyes are extracted from colored fruit bodies. The species cannot be used in home medicine.
Growing methods
The podbolnik is grown on the site or in closed myceliums. It is better to choose an edible fatty webcap for such purposes. The species is not grown on an industrial scale. It is possible to remove unwanted poisonous species from the territory of the personal plot through digging and chemical treatment of the soil.
Conclusion
The webcap is a genus of mushrooms with many species. Most of them are conditionally edible. Poisonous cobwebs contain a slow-acting poison. Signs of poisoning appear only after 3-14 days, which makes the treatment ineffective. Correctly cooked podolotnik has a pleasant nutty taste, and conditionally edible species are suitable for salting.