What edible mushrooms look like: photos with names and descriptions. List of forest edible mushrooms with photos, names and descriptions Types and names of edible mushrooms

Irina Kamshilina

Cooking for someone is much more pleasant than for yourself))

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How many amateurs are waiting for the start of the season to walk through the forest in search of mushrooms or buttercups. Fry chanterelles, pickle milk mushrooms, marinate boletus to taste at the festive table in winter. Unfortunately, not everything ends well if you do not know whether you have collected. Armed with useful knowledge of how to distinguish inedible species, every mushroom eater is obliged.

How to distinguish poisonous mushrooms from edible ones

You should not go into the forest if you do not know how to determine whether a mushroom is poisonous or not. Ask an experienced person to take you on a quiet hunt. In the forest more often he will tell about edible varieties, show how they look. Read books or find information on websites. Only in this way will you protect your loved ones and yourself from mortal danger. Even one inedible specimen in the basket can lead to trouble if you do not distinguish it and cook it together with others.

Inedible species are dangerous because they can provoke food poisoning, cause disruption of the central nervous system, and lead to death. Experienced mushroom pickers recommend following the rules when collecting:

  • do not taste - you can instantly get poisoned;
  • do not take if in doubt;
  • do not cut dry, overripe specimens - it is difficult to determine their belonging;
  • do not collect everything in the hope of sorting it out at home;
  • visit the forest with experienced people;
  • do not collect specimens with a stem thickened at the bottom;
  • Refresh your knowledge of species features before departure.

What do edible mushrooms look like?

Experienced lovers of quiet forest hunting know how to distinguish edible mushrooms from inedible ones. You can’t go wrong, you can put the copy you like in the basket, and then cook it if:

  • there is a "skirt" on the leg;
  • under the cap is a layer of a tubular type;
  • a pleasant smell emanates from it;
  • hats have a characteristic appearance and color for their variety;
  • insects were noticed on the surface - bugs and worms.

There are varieties that are very famous and popular in the middle forest belt. They are known, collected, although among them there are specimens that have dangerous doubles. To get a unique taste, different methods of preparation are required. Favorite species include:

  • white - boletus;
  • breast;
  • camelina;
  • boletus;
  • honey agaric;
  • boletus;
  • oiler;
  • wave;
  • fox;
  • russula.

What mushrooms are poisonous

How to distinguish edible mushrooms from inedible? Poisonous varieties are often recognized by the following features:

  • color - have an unusual or very bright color;
  • adhesive cap in some varieties;
  • discoloration of the legs - when cut, an unnatural color appears;
  • the absence of worms and insects inside and on the surface - they do not tolerate mushroom poison;
  • smell - it can be fetid, medicinal, chlorine;
  • the absence of a tubular layer under the cap.

Inedible varieties contain toxic substances. It is necessary to carefully collect, to know the special signs of dangerous specimens in order to distinguish them:

  • pale grebe - deadly poisonous, has a hat of greenish or olive color, a leg thickened downwards;
  • satanic - different from white in red tones;
  • fly agaric red - has a bright hat with white dots, provokes the destruction of brain cells;
  • thin pig - has a hallucinogenic property when interacting with alcohol;
  • fly agaric smelly - has the smell of chlorine, very poisonous.

How to distinguish mushrooms

Among the variety of species, one can find poisonous specimens - twins, similar to species suitable for consumption. How to distinguish between edible and inedible mushrooms in this case? The resemblance may be distant or very close. Twins have the following edible varieties:

  • white - satanic, bile;
  • mossiness mushrooms, boletus - pepper;
  • chanterelles - false chanterelles;
  • milk mushrooms - waxy talkers;
  • champignons - fly agaric;
  • mushrooms - false mushrooms.

How to distinguish a false white mushroom

Inexperienced mushroom pickers can confuse a strong boletus with false species, although they are not very similar. A real white copy is strong, dense, grows in groups, sometimes making up a path. It is distinguished by a hat, from below it is exclusively olive, yellow, white. Its flesh is firm, dense, the smell is pleasant. If you make a cut, it will be white.

There are two types of falsehoods:

  • Biliary - has a shade of pinkish color. There is a dark mesh on the surface of the leg.
  • Satanic - with a strong smell of rotten onions, it has a velvety hat, yellow or red flesh. The leg is thickened at the bottom. It has a very bright color that varies in height from rich red to shades of green and yellow.

How to recognize a false chanterelle mushroom

How to determine edible and inedible mushrooms, if both look bright and elegant? What are similar and by what signs can chanterelles be distinguished? For an inedible variety, the following are characteristic:

  • a bright, velvety, orange-colored hat;
  • smaller diameter - about 2.5 cm;
  • pulp with an unpleasant odor;
  • leg tapering downward;
  • a hat that looks like a funnel with smooth edges;
  • the absence of worms - the composition contains chitinmannose - an anthelmintic substance.

Edible chanterelles grow in groups in mixed, coniferous forests. They often have large specimens with a hat up to 10 cm. They are distinguished by:

  • thick dense leg, which is never hollow;
  • the hat is lowered down, has bumpy edges, the color is soft - from light yellow to pale orange;
  • the plates are dense, go down to the leg;
  • the flesh is red when pressed.

How to distinguish between edible and poisonous mushrooms

Of particular difficulty is the correct definition of mushrooms, since they collect several edible varieties that have different shapes. They grow on stumps, tree trunks, in the grass, often in large groups. Good mushrooms can be distinguished by:

  • hats from light beige to brown with dark scales;
  • leg ring;
  • cream or white plates under the hat;
  • pleasant smell.

Inedible mushrooms often grow singly. The difference from edible ones is the absence of a ring on the leg. Other features of inedible varieties:

  • brightly colored hat, red, orange, rusty brown, sticky and smooth after rain;
  • the plates are dark - green olive-black, yellow;
  • moldy smell;
  • spots on the hat in black.

Video: how to check mushrooms for edibility

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Sometimes during a walk a person stumbles upon a mushroom meadow and does not understand whether forest mushrooms are edible or not. If you have the concept and idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe “correct” mushrooms, then the ambiguities with which mushrooms are edible disappear by themselves. When engaging in tourism, as a hobby or just for safety net in different life situations, it is necessary to have knowledge about mushrooms and their varieties.

The structure of mushrooms and their features

Safe species differ from poisonous and inedible ones in the shape and color of the fruiting body, the structure of the hymenophore and the smell.

Edible mushrooms are tubular: they got this name due to the fact that under their hat there are tubules that look like a sponge - they contain spores.

Most types of edible mushrooms have a similar description, but not all of them are the same, and this must be taken into account when collecting.

False varieties, on the contrary, have a lamellar cap structure inherent in most inedible ones. It should be borne in mind that most non-edible mushrooms are very similar to edible ones.

Edible varieties

Experts have long verified a list of common edible mushrooms that can be eaten even without heat treatment.

It includes: oyster mushrooms, mushrooms, mushrooms, boletus, champignons, chanterelles, mossiness mushrooms, truffles.

You can open this list and understand how these mushrooms look by reading their description:

Where autumn mushrooms grow, their main types

Different mushrooms are of different gastronomic interest. Of course, you should not collect all the mushrooms in a row, even if they are edible.

To get the maximum benefit from the situation, it is worth focusing on the belonging of mushrooms to certain categories.

Categories and classifications

When selecting mushrooms in the classification, it is worth considering their belonging - they are edible and conditionally edible. Edible mushrooms are mushrooms that can be eaten without processing. Conditionally edible - those that must be thermally processed before use - by scalding, boiling, etc. Edible mushrooms in Russia are divided into 4 categories:

  1. The best representatives of the mushroom world, which are revered among chefs and mushroom pickers. They have high nutritional value, good protein potential. These include white mushrooms, mushrooms, mushrooms, mushrooms.
  2. Edible and conditionally edible. These include, for example, some boletus mushrooms (yellow boletus), some boletus mushrooms (common and speckled), dabki (all boletus and many boletus), all edible oilers, some mossiness mushrooms (chestnut boletus).
  3. This category includes edible and conditionally edible, but not the best and most useful specimens, worse in quality than mushrooms of the first two categories. These include almost all flywheels, some oilers (yellowish, gray, ruby), many milkers (smooth, gray and ruby), many champignons.
  4. The worst category of edible and conditionally edible mushrooms. These are all flakes, umbrellas, sawflies, rows, oyster mushrooms, cobwebs, cystoderms, spittles, raincoats, hedgehogs.

Everyone who does not understand mushrooms is limited to buying them in a supermarket. After all, champignons and oyster mushrooms grown under artificial sun inspire more confidence than unknown natural gifts. But true mushroom pickers will not be able to be satisfied with the taste of fruits that do not smell of needles and are not washed with morning dew. Yes, and it is very difficult to deny yourself forest walks on a clear day off. Therefore, let's take a closer look at the external signs of popular edible mushrooms in our region.

Main characteristics of edible mushrooms

All the biological and ecological diversity of mushrooms on a planetary scale is simply impossible to cover. This is one of the largest specific groups of living organisms, which has become an integral part of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Modern scientists know many types of the mushroom kingdom, but today there is no exact figure in any scientific source. In different literature, the species number of mushrooms varies from 100 thousand to 1.5 million. It is characteristic that each species is divided into classes, orders, and also has thousands of generic names and synonyms. Therefore, it is easy to get lost here just like in the forest.

Did you know? The most unusual mushroom in the world is considered by contemporaries to be Plasmodium, which grows in central Russia. This creation of nature can walk. True, it moves at a speed of 1 meter in a few days..

Edible mushrooms are considered to be those specimens that are allowed for consumption and do not carry any risks to human health. They differ from poisonous forest fruits in the structure of the hymenophore, the color and shape of the fruiting body, as well as in smell and taste. Their peculiarity lies in high gastronomic properties. After all, it is not in vain that among mushroom pickers there are parallel names for mushrooms - “vegetable meat” and “forest protein”. It is scientifically proven that such gifts of nature are rich in:

  • proteins;
  • amino acids;
  • mycosis and glycogen (specific mushroom sugar);
  • potassium;
  • phosphorus;
  • gray;
  • magnesium;
  • sodium;
  • calcium;
  • chlorine;
  • vitamins (A, C, PP, D, the whole group B);
  • enzymes (represented by amylase, lactase, oxidase, zymase, protease, cytase, which are of particular importance because they improve the absorption of food).

Many types of mushrooms in their nutritional value compete with potatoes, vegetables and fruits traditional for the Ukrainian table. Their significant disadvantage is poorly digestible shells of mushroom bodies. That is why the greatest benefit to the human body is brought by dried and powdered fruits.

Did you know? Of the entire mushroom kingdom, the rarest specimen is considered to be the mushroom Chorioactis geaster, which means "devil's cigar" in translation. It is found in isolated cases only in the central zones of Texas and on some islands of Japan. A unique feature of this natural wonder is the specific whistle that is heard when the fungus releases spores..

According to the nutritional characteristics of mushrooms, Soviet scientists divided the edible group into 4 varieties:

  1. Mushrooms, mushrooms and milk mushrooms.
  2. Boletus, boletus, duboviki, oilers, volnushki, whites and champignons.
  3. Flywheels, valui, russula, chanterelles, morels and autumn mushrooms.
  4. Rows, raincoats and other little-known, rarely collected specimens.

Today, this classification is considered a bit outdated. Modern botanists agree that the division of mushrooms into food categories is inefficient and the scientific literature provides an individual description of each species. Beginning mushroom pickers should learn the golden rule of "silent hunting": one poisonous mushroom can ruin all the forest trophies in the basket. Therefore, if you find any inedible fruit among the harvested crop, send all the contents to the trash without regret. After all, the risks of intoxication are not included in any comparisons with the time and effort spent.

Edible mushrooms: photos and names

Of all the variety of edible mushrooms known to mankind, there are only a few thousand. At the same time, the lion's share of them went to representatives of fleshy micromycetes. Consider the most popular types.

Did you know? Real mushroom giants were found by Americans in 1985 in the states of Wisconsin and Oregon. The first find struck with its 140-kilogram weight, and the second - with the area of ​​the mycelium, which occupied about a thousand hectares..

In botanical literature, this forest trophy is designated as or ( Boletus edulis). In everyday life, it is called truthful, dubrovnik, shirak and belas.
The variety belongs to the genus Boletov and is considered the best of all known edible mushrooms. In Ukraine, it is not uncommon and occurs from early summer to mid-autumn in deciduous and coniferous forests. Often mushrooms can be found under birches, oaks, hornbeams, hazel, fir trees and pines.

It is characteristic that you can find both squat specimens with a small hat, and wide-legged ones, in which the leg is four times smaller than the upper part. The classic variations of mushrooms are:
  • a hat with a diameter of 3 to 20 cm, a hemispherical, convex brown color with a smoky or reddish tint (the color of the hat largely depends on the place where the fungus grows: it is purple-brown under pines, chestnut or olive green under oaks, and under birches - light brown);
  • leg length from 4 to 15 cm with a volume of 2-6 cm, club-shaped, cream-colored with a grayish or brown tint;
  • white mesh on the top of the leg;
  • the pulp is dense, juicy-fleshy, white, which does not change when cut;
  • spindle-shaped spores, yellowish-olive, about 15-18 microns in size;
  • a tubular layer of light and greenish tones (depending on the age of the fungus), which is easily separated from the cap;
  • the smell at the site of the cuts is pleasant.

Important! Mushrooms are often confused with mustards. These are inedible mushrooms that are distinguished by pinkish spores, a black mesh on the stem, and bitter flesh.


It is worth taking note that in true porcini mushrooms, the skin from the cap is never removed. In Ukraine, the industrial harvesting of these forest trophies is carried out only in the Carpathians and Polissya. They are suitable for fresh consumption, for drying, conservation, salting, pickling. Traditional medicine advises introducing belas into the diet for angina pectoris, tuberculosis, frostbite, loss of strength and anemia.

Volnushka

These trophies are considered conditionally edible. They are used as food only by residents of the northern regions of the globe, and Europeans do not recognize them as food. Botanists call these mushrooms Lactarius torminósus, and mushroom pickers call them volnyanka, decoctions and rubella. They represent the Russula family of the Milky genus, are pink and white.

Pink waves are characterized by:
  • a hat 4 to 12 cm in diameter, with a deep depression in the center and convex, pubescent edges, a pale pink or grayish hue that darkens when touched;
  • stalk about 3-6 cm high with a diameter of 1 to 2 cm, cylindrical in shape, powerful and elastic structure with specific pubescence on a pale pink surface;
  • cream or white spores;
  • plates are frequent and not wide, which are always interspersed with intermediate membranes;
  • the pulp is dense and firm, white in color, does not change when cut and is characterized by abundant, sharp-tasting juice secretion.

Important! Mushroom pickers should pay attention to the fact that volatility is characteristic of volushki, which depends on their age. For example, caps can change their color from yellow-orange to light green, and plates - from pinkish to yellow.

White waves are different:
  • a cap with a diameter of 4 to 8 cm with white densely pubescent skin (in older specimens, its surface is smoother and yellow);
  • leg height from 2 to 4 cm with a volume of up to 2 cm, cylindrical shape with low hairiness, dense structure and uniform color;
  • the pulp is slightly fragrant, white in color, with a dense but brittle structure;
  • spores of white or cream color;
  • plates are narrow and frequent;
  • milky juice of white color, which does not change when interacting with oxygen and is characterized by causticity.

most often grow in groups under birches, on forest edges, rarely in coniferous forests. They are harvested from early August to mid-autumn. Any cooking requires thorough soaking and blanching. Use these mushrooms for preservation, drying, salting.

Important! Edible volnushki are easily distinguished from other lactic mushrooms by the hairiness on the hat.

But in the latter version, the flesh becomes brown, which does not look aesthetically pleasing. Undercooked specimens are toxic, can cause digestive disorders and irritation of the mucous membranes. In salted form, they are allowed to be consumed no earlier than one hour after salting.

The species also represents the Syroezhkov family of the Mlechnikov genus. In scientific sources, the mushroom is designated Lactarius résimus, and in everyday life it is called real.
Externally, this mushroom is characterized by:

  • a hat with a diameter of 5 to 20 cm, funnel-shaped with strongly fleecy edges wrapped inward, with wet mucous skin of a milky or yellowish color;
  • a leg up to 7 cm high with a volume up to 5 cm, cylindrical in shape, yellowish in color, with a smooth surface and a hollow interior;
  • firm white pulp with a specific fruity odor;
  • yellow spores;
  • plates frequent and wide, white-yellow;
  • milky juice caustic in taste, white, which in places of cuts changes to dirty yellow.
The season of mushrooms comes from July to September. + 8-10 ° С on the soil surface is enough for their fruiting. The fungus is distributed in the northern part of the Eurasian continent and is considered completely unsuitable for food purposes in the West. Most often found in deciduous and mixed arrays. In cooking, it is used for salting. Beginning mushroom pickers may confuse the trophy with a violinist, a white wave and a loader.

Important! Milk mushrooms are characterized by variability: old mushrooms become hollow inside, their plates turn yellow, and brown spotting may appear on the hat.

This bright mushroom with a peculiar shape is found on the postage stamps of Romania, Moldova, Belarus. The real chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius) is a member of the Cantarell family.
Many people recognize her by:

  • a hat - with a diameter of 2.5 to 5 cm, which is characterized by asymmetrical bulges at the edges and a leuko-shaped depression in the center, a yellow tint and a smooth surface;
  • the stem is short (up to 4 cm high), smooth and solid, identical in color to the cap;
  • spores - their size does not exceed 9.5 microns;
  • plates - narrow, folded, bright yellow;
  • pulp - differs in density and elasticity, white or slightly yellowish, with pleasant aroma and tastes.
Experienced mushroom pickers have noticed that true, even overripe specimens, are not spoiled by a wormhole. Mushrooms grow rapidly in a humid environment; in the absence of rain, spore development stops. Finding such trophies is easy throughout Ukraine, their season starts in July and lasts until November. It is best to go in search of moss-covered, damp, but well-lit, areas with a weak grassy cover.

Important! Real chanterelles are often confused with their counterparts. Therefore, when harvesting, special attention should be paid to the color of the trophy pulp. In pseudochanterelles, it is yellow-orange or pale pink.

At the same time, keep in mind that this variety is not on the forest edges. In cooking, it is customary to use chanterelles in fresh, pickled, salted and dried forms. They have a specific aroma and taste. Experts note that this variety exceeds all mushrooms known to mankind in terms of the composition of carotene, but is not recommended in large quantities, since it is difficult to digest in the body.

In the scientific literature, oyster mushrooms are simultaneously called oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatu) and belong to predatory varieties. The fact is that their spores are able to paralyze and digest nematodes living in the soil. Thus, the body compensates for its need for nitrogen. In addition, the variety is considered wood-destroying, as it grows in groups on the stumps and trunks of weakened living plants, as well as on dead wood.
You can find most often on oaks, birches, mountain ash, willows, aspens. As a rule, these are dense bunches of 30 or more pieces, which coalesce at the base and form multi-tiered outgrowths. It is easy to recognize oyster mushrooms by the following characteristics:

  • cap in diameter reaches about 5-30 cm, very fleshy, rounded ear-shaped with wavy edges (in young specimens it is convex, and becomes flat in adulthood), a smooth glossy surface and an unstable peculiar tonality, which borders on ashy, purple-brown and faded dirty yellow hues;
  • mycelial plaque is present only on the skin of mushrooms that grow in a humid environment;
  • leg up to 5 cm long and 0.8-3 cm thick, sometimes almost imperceptible, dense, cylindrical structure;
  • the plates are sparse, up to 15 mm wide, have jumpers near the legs, their color varies from white to yellow-gray;
  • spores are smooth, colorless, elongated, up to 13 microns in size;
  • the pulp with age becomes more elastic and loses juiciness, fibrous, does not smell, has an anise flavor.

Did you know? Ukrainian mycelium from Volyn - Nina Danilyuk - in 2000 managed to find a giant mushroom that did not fit in a bucket and weighed about 3 kg. Its leg reached 40 cm, and the cap circumference - 94 cm.

Due to the fact that old oyster mushrooms are characterized by rigidity, only young mushrooms are suitable for food, the caps of which do not exceed 10 cm in diameter. In this case, the legs are removed on all trophies. The oyster mushroom hunting season begins in September and, under favorable weather conditions, lasts until the New Year. This variety in our latitudes cannot be confused with anything, but for Australians there is a risk of putting poisonous omphalotus in the basket.

This is the popular name for a certain group of fungi that grow on living or dead wood. They belong to different families and genera, and also differ in preferences for habitat conditions.
For food purposes, autumn mushrooms are most often used. ( Armillaria mellea), which represent the Physalacrian family. According to various estimates of scientists, they are classified as conditionally edible or generally inedible. For example, honey mushrooms are not in demand among Western gourmets and are considered a low-value product. And in Eastern Europe - this is one of the favorite trophies of mushroom pickers.

Important! Undercooked mushrooms cause allergic reactions and severe eating disorders in people.

Honey mushrooms are easily recognizable by external signs. They have:
  • the cap develops up to 10 cm in diameter, is characterized by a convexity at a young age and a flatness at a mature age, it has a smooth surface and a greenish-olive coloring;
  • leg solid, yellow-brown, 8 to 10 cm long with a volume of 2 cm, with small flaky scales;
  • the plates are sparse, white-cream in color, darken with age to pinkish-brown hues;
  • spores are white, up to 6 microns in size, have the shape of a wide ellipse;
  • the flesh is white, juicy, with a pleasant aroma and taste, dense and fleshy on the caps, and fibrous and rough on the stem.
The honey agaric season starts at the end of summer and lasts until December. September is especially productive, when forest fruits appear in several layers. It is best to look for trophies in damp forest areas under the bark of weakened trees, on stumps, dead plants.
They love the wood of birch, elm, oak, pine, alder and aspen left after felling. In especially fruitful years, a night glow of stumps is noted, which is radiated by group growths of honey agarics. For food purposes, the fruits are salted, pickled, fried, boiled and dried.

Important! When collecting again, be careful. The color of their hats depends on the soil in which they grow. For example, those specimens that appear on poplar, mulberry and white acacia are distinguished by honey-yellow tones, those that have grown from elderberry are dark gray, those from coniferous crops are purple-brown, and those from oak are brown. Edible mushrooms are often confused with false ones. Therefore, only those fruits that have a ring on the stem should be put in the basket.

Most mushroom pickers prefer green flywheels (Xerócomus subtomentósus), which are the most common of their kind. Some botanists classify them as mushrooms.
These fruits are:

  • a hat with a maximum diameter of up to 16 cm, a cushion-shaped bulge, a velvety surface and a smoky olive color;
  • a cylindrical leg, up to 10 cm high and up to 2 cm thick, with a fibrous dark brown mesh;
  • brown spores, up to 12 microns in size;
  • the flesh is snow-white, in contact with oxygen it may acquire a slight blue.
To hunt for this species, you should go to deciduous and mixed forests. also grow on the outskirts of roads, but such specimens are not recommended for consumption. The fruiting period lasts from late spring to late autumn. The harvested crop is best eaten fresh. When dried, it turns black.

Did you know? Although fly agarics are considered very poisonous, there are much fewer toxic substances in them than in pale grebe. For example, to obtain a lethal concentration of mushroom poison, you need to eat 4 kg of fly agaric. And one toadstool is enough to poison 4 people.

Among the edible varieties of oil, white, marsh, yellow, Bollini, and larch species are popular. In our latitudes, the latter variation is especially popular.
She is characterized by:

  • a hat up to 15 cm in diameter, convex in shape, with a bare sticky surface of lemon yellow or rich yellow-orange color;
  • the stem is up to 12 cm high and 3 cm wide, club-shaped, with granular-mesh fragments at the top, as well as a ring, its color exactly matches the tone of the cap;
  • spores are smooth, pale yellow, ellipsoid, up to 10 microns in size;
  • the flesh is yellow with a lemon tint, brownish under the skin, soft, juicy with hard fibers, in old mushrooms the sections turn a little pink.
The season runs from July to September. The species is very common in the countries of the Northern Hemisphere. Most often found in groups in deciduous forests, where the soil is acidic and enriched. In cooking, these forest trophies are used for making soups, frying, salting, pickling.

Did you know? Truffles are considered the most expensive mushrooms in the world. In France, the price per kilogram of this delicacy never falls below 2,000 euros..

In the people, this mushroom is also called the blackhead and. In botanical literature, it is designated as Léccinum scábrum and represents the genus Obabok.
He is recognized by:

  • a hat with a specific color that varies from white to gray-black;
  • club-shaped stem, with oblong dark and light scales;
  • white flesh that does not change when exposed to oxygen.
Young specimens are tastier. You can find them in summer and autumn in birch thickets. They are suitable for frying, boiling, marinating and drying.

Represents the family and includes about fifty species. Most of them are considered edible. Some varieties have a bitter aftertaste, which is lost with careful pre-soaking and cooking of forest gifts.
From the entire mushroom kingdom of russula stand out:

  • a hat is spherical or prostrate (in some specimens it may be in the form of a funnel), with wrapped ribbed edges, dry skin of different colors;
  • a cylindrical leg, with a hollow or dense structure, white or colored;
  • plates frequent, brittle, yellowish;
  • spores of white and dark yellow tones;
  • the pulp is spongy and very fragile, white in young mushrooms and dark, as well as reddish in old ones.

Important! Russula with caustic burning pulp are poisonous. A small piece of raw fruit can cause severe irritation of the mucous membranes, vomiting and dizziness..

Fruiting in these representatives of the genus Obabok begins in early summer and lasts until mid-September. They are most often found in damp areas under shady trees. Rarely such a trophy can be found in coniferous forests. Aspen mushrooms are popular in Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Belarus, Western Europe and North America.
The features of this forest fruit are:

  • a hat of a hemispherical shape, with a circumference of up to 25 cm, with a bare or fleecy surface of a white-pink color (sometimes there are specimens with brown, bluish and greenish shades of the peel);
  • club-shaped leg, high, white with brown-gray scales that appear over time;
  • brown spores;
  • tubular layer white-yellow or gray-brown;
  • the flesh is juicy and fleshy, white or yellow, sometimes blue-green, upon contact with oxygen it very soon acquires a bluish tint, after which it turns black (it becomes purple in the stem).
most often harvested for marinades, drying, as well as frying and boiling.

Did you know? It is scientifically proven that mushrooms existed about 400 million years ago. This means that they appeared before dinosaurs. Like ferns, these gifts of nature were among the oldest inhabitants of the globe. Moreover, their spores have been able to adapt to new conditions for millennia, retaining all ancient species to this day.

These edible representatives of the Syroezhkov genus conquered all mushroom pickers with their specific taste. In everyday life they are called reeds or, and in the scientific literature - Lactarius deliciosus.
The harvest should be sent between August and October. Often such trophies are found in humid forest areas. In Ukraine, these are Polissya and Prykarpattya. Signs of mushrooms are:

  • hat with a diameter of 3 to 12 cm, leuco-shaped, sticky to the touch, gray-orange in color, with clear concentric stripes;
  • the plates are rich orange, when touched they begin to turn green;
  • spores are warty, up to 7 microns in size;
  • the leg is very dense, exactly matches the cap in color, reaches up to 7 cm in length, and up to 2.5 cm in volume, becomes hollow with age;
  • the flesh is yellow in the cap and white in the stem, when interacting with oxygen, the places of the cuts turn green;
  • the milky juice is purple-orange (becomes dirty green after a few hours), has a pleasant smell and taste.
In cooking, mushrooms are boiled, fried, salted.

Did you know? The natural antibiotic lactarioviolin was found in the composition of mushrooms.

In France, absolutely all mushrooms are called. Therefore, linguists tend to think that the Slavic name of a whole genus of organisms from the Agarikov family is of French origin.
Champignons have:

  • the hat is massive and dense, hemispherical in shape, which becomes flat with age, white or dark brown, up to 20 cm in diameter;
  • the plates are initially white, which turn gray with age;
  • leg up to 5 cm high, dense, club-shaped, always having a one- or two-layered ring;
  • the flesh, which comes in all sorts of shades of white, becomes yellow-red, juicy, with a pronounced mushroom smell when exposed to oxygen.
In nature, there are about 200 types of champignons. But all of them develop only on a substrate enriched with organic substances. They can also be found on anthills, dead bark. It is characteristic that some mushrooms can grow only in the forest, others - exclusively among grasses, and others - in desert zones.

Important! When collecting champignons, pay attention to their records. This is the only important sign by which they can be distinguished from the poisonous representatives of the Amanitov family. In the latter, this part remains invariably white or lemon throughout life..

In the nature of the Eurasian continent, there is a small species diversity of such trophies. Mushroom pickers should beware of only yellow-skinned (Agaricus xanthodermus) and variegated (Agaricus meleagris) champignons. All other species are non-toxic. They are even massively cultivated on an industrial scale.

Outwardly, these fruits are very unattractive, but for their taste they are considered a valuable delicacy. In everyday life, they are called the "earthly heart", since they can be located underground at a depth of half a meter. And it is also the "black diamonds of cooking." Botanists classify truffles as a separate genus of marsupial mushrooms with an underground fleshy and juicy fruiting body. In cooking, Italian, Perigord and winter species are most valued.
Basically, they grow in oak and beech forests of southern France and northern Italy. In Europe, specially trained dogs and pigs are used for "silent hunting". Experienced mushroom pickers advise paying attention to flies - in places where they swarm, under the foliage, there will surely be an earthen heart.

You can recognize the most valuable fruit by the following signs:

  • the fruit body is potato-shaped, 2.5 to 8 cm in diameter, with a slight pleasant smell and large pyramidal protrusions up to 10 mm in diameter, olive-black;
  • the flesh is white or yellow-brown with clear light veins, tastes like roasted sunflower seeds or nuts;
  • ellipsoid-shaped spores develop only in a humus substrate.
Truffles form mycorrhiza with rhizomes of oak, hornbeam, hazel, beech. Since 1808 they have been cultivated for industrial purposes.

Did you know? According to statistics, the world's truffle harvest is declining every year. On average, it does not exceed 50 tons.

This is a type of edible mushroom from the genus Lentinula. They are very widespread in East Asia. They got their name due to the growth on chestnut trees. Translated from Japanese, the word means "chestnut mushroom". In cooking, it is used in Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Thai cuisines as a gourmet spice. In oriental medicine, there are also many recipes for the treatment of these fruits.
In everyday life, the mushroom is also called oak, winter, black. Characteristically, in the world market, shiitake is considered the second important mushroom that is cultivated in industry. Growing a delicacy is quite realistic in the climatic conditions of Ukraine. To do this, it is important to acquire an artificial mushroom substrate.

When harvesting shiitake, you need to focus on the following characteristics of the mushroom:

  • a hat of a hemispherical shape, up to 29 cm in diameter, with dry velvety skin of coffee or brown-brown color;
  • the plates are white, thin and dense, in young specimens they are protected by a membrane coating, when squeezed they become dark brown;
  • the leg is fibrous, cylindrical in shape, up to 20 cm high and up to 1.5 cm thick, with a smooth light brown surface;
  • white ellipsoid spores;
  • the pulp is dense, fleshy, juicy, cream or snow-white in color, with a pleasant aroma and a pronounced specific taste.

Did you know? The increased interest in shiitake in the world market is due to its antitumor effect. The main consumer of this delicacy is Japan, which annually imports about 2 thousand tons of the product.

The mushroom belongs to the Boletov family. In everyday life, it is called a bruise, tannery, dirty brown. The fruiting period begins in July and lasts until late autumn. August is considered the most fruitful. You should go in search of forests, where there are oaks, hornbeams, beeches, birches. also prefer calcareous soil and well-lit areas. These forest fruits are known in the Caucasus, Europe and the Far East.
The signs of the fungus are:

  • a hat with a diameter of 5 to 20 cm, semicircular in shape, with an olive-brown velvety skin that darkens when touched;
  • the pulp is dense, odorless, with a mild taste, yellow in color (purple at the base of the stem);
  • the plates are yellow, about 2.5-3 cm long, green or olive;
  • club-shaped leg, up to 15 cm high with a volume of up to 6 cm, yellow-orange hue;
  • spores olive-brown, smooth, fusiform.
Experienced mushroom pickers are advised to pay attention to the colors of the oak caps. It is highly variable and can vary between red, yellow, brown, brown and olive tones. These fruits are considered conditionally edible. They are harvested for marinades and drying.

Important! If you eat undercooked or raw oak, severe poisoning can occur. It is strictly contraindicated to combine this product of any degree of cooking with alcoholic beverages.

Edible varieties of these fruits must necessarily undergo thorough boiling. They differ from poisonous specimens in their bright color and not too tart smell. Most often used for filling in pies, and also consumed freshly prepared.
Experienced mushroom pickers are advised to go "on a quiet hunt" from early July to the second half of October. To improve the taste of talkers, only the caps of young fruits are used for food. You can find them by:

  • a hat with a bell-shaped circumference up to 22 cm, with folded edges and a tubercle in the middle, a smooth surface of a matte or red color;
  • a stem up to 15 cm high, with a dense structure, a cylindrical shape and a color scheme corresponding to the hat (there are darker shades at the base);
  • plates of medium density brown;
  • the pulp is fleshy, dry, with a slightly pronounced almond aroma, white in color, which does not change on the cuts.

Important! Pay attention to the skin of the talker's hat. Poisonous fruits always have a characteristic powdery coating on it.

Many novice mushroom pickers are always impressed by the appearance of the bigheads. These trophies stand out from their counterparts very favorably due to their impressive size and shape.
They have:

  • the fruiting body is large, can develop up to 20 cm in diameter, non-standard club-shaped, which hardly fits into the generally accepted ideas about mushrooms;
  • the stem can also reach 20 cm in height, there are more or less caps, in color it harmonizes with the top;
  • the pulp is loose, white color.
For culinary purposes, only young fruits are suitable, which are distinguished by light shades of the fruiting body. With age, the hat darkens, and cracks appear on it. You can harvest golovach in any forest area. Some young mushrooms are very similar to puffballs. But such confusion is not dangerous to health, since both varieties are edible. The mushroom season starts from the second decade of July and lasts until the very cold. Collected trophies are best dried.

Did you know? Mushrooms can survive at an altitude of 30 thousand meters above sea level, withstand radioactive exposure and pressure of 8 atmospheres. They also take root easily even on the surface of sulfuric acid..

He is a member of the genus Borovik. In everyday life, it is referred to as a yellow boletus or yellow boletus. It is very common in Polissya, the Carpathian region and in Western Europe. It is considered a heat-loving variety of Boletovs. It can be found in oak, hornbeam, beech plantings with high humidity and clay substrate.
Externally, the fungus is characterized by:

  • a cap with a diameter of 5 to 20 cm, a convex shape, which becomes flat with age, with a smooth matte surface of a clay color;
  • pulp is heavy, with a dense structure, white or light yellow in color, which does not change when cut, with a pleasant, slightly sweet taste and a specific smell, reminiscent of iodoform;
  • a leg with a rough surface, up to 16 cm high, up to 6 cm in volume, club-shaped, without a grid;
  • tubular layer up to 3 cm in size, yellow at an early age and olive-lemon - in mature;
  • yellow-olive spores, up to 6 microns in size, spindle-shaped and smooth.
Semi-white mushrooms are often harvested for making marinades and drying. It is important to thoroughly boil the harvested crop before use - then the unpleasant odor disappears.

Did you know? In the history of mushrooms, a fact was captured when Swiss mushroom pickers accidentally stumbled upon a huge trophy that had been growing for a thousand years. This giant honey agaric measured 800 m long and 500 m wide, and its mycelium occupied 35 hectares of the area of ​​the local national park in the city of Offenpass.

Basic rules for picking mushrooms

Mushroom hunting has its risks. In order not to be exposed to them, you need to clearly understand that it is extremely important to be able to collect mushrooms and understand their varieties.
To safely harvest forest trophies, you must follow these rules:

  1. Go in search of environmentally friendly areas, away from noisy highways and production assets.
  2. Never put items in the shopping cart that you are not sure about. In this case, it is better to seek help from experienced mushroom pickers.
  3. Never take samples from raw fruit.
  4. During the "silent hunt" to minimize the touch of the hands to the mouth and face.
  5. Do not take mushrooms that have a white tuberous formation at the base.
  6. Compare found trophies with their toxic counterparts.
  7. Visually evaluate the entire fruit: leg, plates, cap, pulp.
  8. Do not delay the preparation of the harvest. It is better to immediately carry out the planned processing, because every hour the mushrooms lose their value.
  9. Never eat water in which mushrooms have been boiled. It can contain many toxic substances.
  10. Delete instances damaged by the wormhole, as well as those that have any damage.
  11. Only young fruits should fall into the mushroom picker's basket.
  12. All trophies must be cut, not pulled out.
  13. The best time for "quiet hunting" is considered to be early morning.
  14. If you go for mushrooms with children, do not lose sight of them and explain to the kids in advance about the potential danger of forest gifts.

Did you know? Soft mushroom caps can break through asphalt, concrete, marble and iron.

Video: mushroom picking rules

Mushroom poisoning is evidenced by:

  • nausea;
  • vomit;
  • headache;
  • cramps in the abdomen;
  • diarrhea (up to 15 times a day);
  • weakened heartbeat;
  • hallucinations;
  • cold extremities.
Similar symptoms can occur within one and a half to two hours after mushroom food. When intoxicated, it is important not to waste time. It is necessary to immediately call an ambulance and provide the victim with plenty of fluids. It is allowed to drink cold water or cold strong tea. It is recommended to take activated charcoal tablets or Enterosgel.
It also does not hurt to clean the gastrointestinal tract before the doctor arrives with an enema and gastric lavage (drink about 2 liters of a weak solution of potassium permanganate to induce vomiting). Improvement in the condition with adequate treatment occurs within a day. During the "quiet hunt" do not lose vigilance, carefully inspect the trophies and, if there are doubts about their edibility, it is better not to take them with you.

Video: mushroom poisoning

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The forest areas of Russia are very rich in mushrooms, and residents do not miss the opportunity to take advantage of this gift of nature. Traditionally, they are fried, pickled or dried. But the danger lies in the fact that many poisonous species are skillfully disguised as edible mushrooms. That is why it is important to know the characteristic features of the varieties allowed for consumption.

Mushrooms are not only tasty, but also very healthy food. They contain substances such as salts, glycogen, carbohydrates, as well as vitamins of groups A, B, C, D. If the mushrooms are young, then they also contain many trace elements: calcium, zinc, iron, iodine. Their intake has a positive effect on the metabolic processes of the body, increased appetite, the functioning of the nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract.

In fact, there are no exact criteria by which one can distinguish safe mushrooms from poisonous ones. Only existing knowledge about the appearance, signs and names of each species can help in this matter.

Characteristic features of edible mushrooms

General criteria for edible mushrooms include:

  • Absence of a sharp bitter smell and taste;
  • They are not characterized by very bright and catchy colors;
  • Usually the inner flesh is light;
  • Most often they do not have a ring on the leg.

But all these signs are only averaged, and there may be exceptions. For example, one of the most poisonous representatives of the white grebe also does not have a pungent odor at all and its flesh is light.

Another important point in this matter is the territory of growth. Usually edible species grow away from their dangerous counterparts. Therefore, a proven harvesting site can significantly reduce the risk of running into poisonous mushrooms.

Common misconceptions

Among the people, there are many signs and non-standard ways to determine the safety of mushrooms. Here are the most common misconceptions:

  • Silver spoon. It is believed that it should darken upon contact with an inedible fungus;
  • Onion and garlic. They are added to a decoction of mushrooms and if they darken, then there is a poisonous species in the pan. It is not true;
  • Milk. Some people believe that when a fungus dangerous to humans is lowered into milk, it will definitely turn sour. Another myth;
  • Worms and larvae. If they eat certain types of mushrooms, then they are edible. But in fact, some species edible for worms can harm human health.

And another common myth says that all young mushrooms are edible. But this is not true either. Many species are dangerous at any age.

An extended list of edible mushrooms and their description

In order to indicate the names of all edible mushrooms and give them descriptions, you will need a whole book, since there are so many varieties of them. But most often people opt for the most famous, already trusted species, leaving dubious representatives to professional mushroom pickers.

It is also known as "boletus". This mushroom has earned popularity due to its nutritional value and aromatic taste. It is suitable for any type of processing: frying, boiling, drying, salting.


White fungus is characterized by a thick light stem and a large tubular cap, whose diameter can reach 20 cm. Most often it has a brown, brown or red color. At the same time, it is completely heterogeneous: the edge is usually lighter than the center. The lower part of the cap changes color from white to yellow-green with age. On the leg you can see the mesh pattern.

The internal pulp of a dense consistence and its taste reminds a nut. When cut, its color does not change.

Ginger

Very high calorie and nutritious. Great for marinating and pickling. You can use other types of processing, but it is better not to dry it. It is characterized by a high degree of digestibility.


The main feature of mushrooms is their bright orange color. Moreover, the color is characteristic of all parts of the fungus: the leg, the hat and even the pulp. The cap is lamellar and has a recess in the center. The color is not uniform: the redhead is diluted with dark gray spots. Plates are frequent. If you cut the mushroom, the flesh changes color to green or brown.

boletus

A common species, which, as the name suggests, prefers to grow next to a cluster of birches. Ideal fried or boiled.


The boletus has a cylindrical light leg covered with dark scales. It is quite fibrous to the touch. Inside light pulp of a dense consistence. It may turn slightly pink when cut. The hat is small, similar to a pillow of gray or brown-brown color. At the bottom are white tubes.

boletus

A beloved nutritious mushroom that grows in temperate zones.


It is not difficult to recognize it: a plump leg expands to the bottom and is covered with many small scales. The cap is hemispherical, but over time becomes flatter. It can be red-brown or white-brown in color. The lower tubes are close to a dirty gray tint. When cut, the inner pulp changes color. It can turn blue, black purple or red.

Oilers

Small mushrooms that most often go for pickling. They grow in the northern hemisphere.


Their cap is usually smooth and in rare cases fibrous. From above, it is covered with a mucous film, so it may seem sticky to the touch. The stem is also predominantly smooth, sometimes with a ring.

This type necessarily requires pre-cleaning before cooking, but the skin is usually easily removed.

Chanterelles

One of the earliest spring representatives of mushrooms. Grow in whole families.


The hat is not standard. Initially, it is flat, but over time it takes on the shape of a funnel with a depression in the center. All parts of the mushroom are colored light orange. The white flesh is dense in texture, pleasant to the taste, but not at all nutritious.

mokhovik


A delicious mushroom that can be found in temperate latitudes. Its most common types are:

  • Green. It is characterized by a grey-olive cap, yellow fibrous stem and dense light flesh;
  • Bolotny. Looks like a boletus. The color is predominantly yellow. When cut, the flesh turns blue;
  • Yellow-brown. The yellow cap takes on a reddish tint with age. The stem is also yellow, but has a darker color at the base.

Suitable for all types of cooking and processing.

Russula

Fairly large mushrooms growing in Siberia, the Far East and the European part of the Russian Federation.


Hats can have different colors: yellow, red, green and even blue. It is believed that it is best to eat representatives with the least amount of red pigment. The hat itself is rounded with a small indentation in the center. The plates are usually white, yellow or beige. The skin on the hat can be easily removed or come off only along the edge. The leg is not high, mostly white.

Honey mushrooms

Popular edible mushrooms growing in large groups. They prefer to grow on tree trunks and stumps.


Their hats are usually not large, their diameter reaches 13 cm. They can be yellow, gray-yellow, beige-brown in color. The shape is most often flat, but in some species they are spherical. The leg is elastic, cylindrical, sometimes has a ring.

Raincoat

This species prefers coniferous and deciduous forests.


The body of the fungus is white or gray-white in color, sometimes covered with small needles. It can reach a height of 10 cm. The inner pulp is initially white, but begins to darken over time. It has a pronounced pleasant aroma. If the pulp of the fungus has already darkened, then you should not eat it.

Ryadovka


It has a fleshy convex hat with a smooth surface. The inner pulp is denser with a pronounced smell. The leg is cylindrical in shape, expanding towards the bottom. In height, it reaches 8 cm. The color of the mushroom, depending on the species, can be purple, brown, gray-brown, ashy and sometimes purple.


You can recognize it by its cushion-shaped hat of brown or brown color. The surface is slightly rough to the touch. The lower tubes have a yellow tint, which turns blue when pressed. The same thing happens with the pulp. The leg is cylindrical inhomogeneous in color: darker above, lighter below.

Dubovik

A tubular edible mushroom that grows in sparse forests.


The hat is quite large, grows up to 20 cm in diameter. In structure and shape, it is fleshy and hemispherical. The color is usually dark brown or yellow. The inner flesh is lemon-colored, but turns blue when cut. The high leg is thick, cylindrical, yellow. Towards the bottom it usually has a darker color.

oyster mushrooms


It is characterized by a funnel-shaped cap, up to 23 cm in diameter. The color, depending on the species, can be light, closer to white, and gray. The surface is slightly matte to the touch, the edges are very thin. The bright legs of oyster mushrooms are very short, rarely reaching 2.5 cm. The flesh is fleshy, light, with a pleasant aroma. The plates are wide, their color can vary from white to gray.

Champignon

Very popular edible mushrooms due to their pleasant taste and high nutritional value. Their description and characteristics are familiar not only to mushroom pickers.


These mushrooms are familiar to everyone for their white color with a slight grayish tint. The cap is spherical with a bent down edge. The leg is not high, dense in structure.

Most often used for cooking, but for salting they are used extremely rarely.

Conditionally edible mushrooms

The edibility of mushrooms in the forest can be conditional. This means that such species can only be eaten after a certain type of processing. Otherwise, they can harm human health.

Processing involves a thermal process. But if some species need to be boiled several times, then for others, soaking in water and roasting is enough.

Such representatives of conditionally edible mushrooms include: real mushroom, green row, purple cobweb, winter mushroom, common flake.

What is mushrooms? Is it plants, animals, organisms or bacteria? Let's look at interesting facts about mushrooms, the most mysterious living organisms on planet Earth, and answer the question: what is a "mushroom".

Mycology - the science of fungi

For a long time, scientists considered mycology - the science of mushrooms - to botany. But it is interesting that today this science belongs to biology, since researchers have proven that fungi are between the animal world and plants, and a huge number of their species are known.

As everyone knows from school lessons, mushrooms consist of a fruiting body, which is the ground part of the fungus, and mycelium, the mycelium, which is underground. Hyphae, the ultrathin filaments that make up the mycelium, spread in the soil substrate. Interestingly, the mycelium can live for many decades. But the ground part itself lives no more than ten days. An interesting fact is that the mycelium perfectly tolerates both severe frosts and dry times.

Hyphae form balls in some place in the soil, and they begin to increase in size, forming the same mushroom that grows, and mushroom pickers are happy to collect it. There are places on Earth where mycelium grows over vast areas, and the weight can be hundreds of tons.

Distribution features can also tell interesting facts about mushrooms. What people eat with pleasure - namely the body of the fungus - is the organ of reproduction. The fungus scatters spores around itself, resulting in the formation of new mycelia. In addition to the fact that mushrooms are a real delicacy, they are also a natural pharmacy.

Therefore, it is worth considering in detail the interesting features of the fungi that inhabit the planet:

Beneficial features;
habitats;
Varieties.

Scientists have found that mushrooms contain antibiotics that cope with:

anemia;
with Koch's wand;
tumor processes;
inflammation.

It is interesting that the form of mushrooms is as diverse as the species: aspen mushrooms, porcini mushrooms, saffron milk mushrooms, chanterelles - the mushroom kingdom is so vast that all species simply cannot be counted. And among them there are those that differ in outlandish colors and shapes.

There is a horned mushroom that resembles a sprig of coral in appearance, and has a bright orange color. Another, no less exotic mushroom is the red lattice. It is called so for its appearance, similar to a bright red latticed ball that matures from an egg-shaped white body, and refers to flower mushrooms.

flower mushrooms

Interestingly, flower mushrooms are truly unique creatures. They like to settle in tropical forests, and you can meet truly outlandish species. For example, the mushroom "dictiaphoros bell". In just two hours, it grows to a decent size, and then throws out from under the umbrella snow-white openwork threads resembling a veil that braid a pale leg. When dusk comes, all this beauty begins to phosphorescent green, creating a fantastic picture.

earth star

In Java, a mushroom with tentacles, red, grows, and in India, a creature grows that resembles a glass in shape. The “earth star” mushroom, which refers to raincoats, surprises with its forms. Interestingly, as soon as he appears from the ground, he begins to change outwardly. Its rays bend down, and the body turns into a ball and shoots its spores up. Or, growing in the forests of Central Europe, "bleeding tooth". These mushrooms secrete a red liquid similar to blood, and have a very bitter taste. Therefore, people and animals do not touch it.

Interesting facts exist about the trametes mushroom, whose home is trees. Very pretty in appearance, bright and fast-growing mushroom has bright stripes. But its feature is the ability to increase human immunity. For many centuries, the Chinese have been using this mushroom in medicine.

This mushroom has a beneficial effect in oncology.

Interestingly, mushrooms can, like people, sunbathe, and the color of their hats depends on the abundance of sunlight. The more it is, the darker the mushrooms. These organisms produce vitamin D.

fun mushroom

In terms of growth rate, the mushroom mushroom is considered the record holder, which grows by a centimeter in just two minutes. Having hatched from the ground, it resembles a gray egg. For tomorrow - you can see an umbrella that rests on a thin leg, and on the third day the body of the fungus disappears altogether.

Speaking about the habitats of mushrooms, we can say that they feel great everywhere. And although it is incredible, but some live inside living beings, others live in the atmospheric layers. It has been proven that they are not afraid of radiation, for many of them radiation gives an impetus to growth.

There are predatory mushrooms that open the hunt for small insects, thanks to the presence of sticky growths, or other tricks, such as the fact that the fungus releases its spores into the caterpillar, and the mushrooms begin to germinate in it. Naturally, after such an attack, the caterpillar does not live. Interestingly, mushrooms have sexual characteristics. Scientists have identified a gene responsible for belonging to a fungus to any sex, and resembles human sex chromosomes.

So far, even scientists cannot claim that everyone knows about mycology, since new discoveries in this area are endlessly made. Interestingly, mushrooms on Earth appeared much earlier than dinosaurs, and adapted to life, retaining their appearance until modern times. And therefore, scientists will have to study these amazing organisms for a long time in order to be able to at least slightly open the veil of secrets in the mysterious science - mycology.



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