False Mushroom (sticky gebeloma)

For the territory of Russia, false valuy is a common forest and field. It grows in large groups in the autumn, so many people confuse it with edible valuys and russules, which leads to poisoning.

In scientific reference books, false valuy is called gebeloma sticky, and in the people it has been dubbed "horseradish mushroom." Its toxins have characteristic characteristics that give an idea of ​​the toxicity.

Visual photos and descriptions of false value mushrooms will help make a difference from edible species.

What does a false value look like and how to distinguish it from the present

Latin name: Hebeloma crustuliniforme.

Family: Strophariaceae.

Synonyms: “Horseradish mushroom”, false valui, short-stemmed gebeloma.

Hat: in diameter up to 10 cm, has a neatly convex shape and turned edges. In adulthood, the cap bends inward and becomes dense. The surface is smooth, but sticky, yellow with white edges. Sometimes there are hats with a reddish and even brick tint.

Leg: diameter up to 2.5 cm, height up to 9 cm, white-fawn shade, with a thickening to the base and powdery coating.

Pulp: thick, condensed, with a bitter taste and an unpleasant smell of fresh radish. The color of the pulp is cream or white, in adulthood the shade becomes darker.

Records: grown and often located, gray or white in young specimens, brown-yellow with light edges in old fruiting bodies. Exudate droplets are visible over the entire surface of the plates, which become black when dried.

Edibility: poisonous mushroom with an unpleasant odor and bitter flesh.

Similarities and differences: goebeloma sticky or false valuy has similarities with some poisonous counterparts: carbonaceous gebeloma, belted gebeloma and mustard gebeloma.

Carboniferous is distinguished by its small size, a hat of a dark color, a soft leg and a place of growth - on burned out areas of the forest.

Belted is distinguished by a brown hat, as well as a thinner leg.

Mustard is distinguished by its smaller size, rare plates and practically non-sticky surface of the cap.

Goebeloma sticky mushrooms are often confused with edible russula. A distinctive feature is the unpleasant and pungent smell of horseradish gebeloma at the site of a slice or break. Therefore, if tearing the fruit body you heard an unpleasant aroma, do not take it in any case.

The information provided will help to see how to distinguish a false value from the present, in order to protect yourself and your loved ones from the negative consequences of its use.

Spread: grows throughout Russia, preferring moist, light soil on the open edges of deciduous and coniferous forests, as well as along the edges of forest roads. The fruiting time is from mid-August to early November. Prefers to form mycorrhiza with the roots of aspen, birch and oak. It can be found in the Caucasus, in Central Asia and even in Australia.

Having familiarized yourself with the description of false values, and finding out what these mushrooms look like, you can safely go to the forest and collect edible species.