Fire scales (Pholiota flammans)
Systematics:- Department: Basidiomycota (Basidiomycetes)
- Subdivision: Agaricomycotina (Agaricomycetes)
- Class: Agaricomycetes (Agaricomycetes)
- Subclass: Agaricomycetidae (Agaricomycetes)
- Order: Agaricales (Agaric or Lamellar)
- Family: Strophariaceae (Strophariaceae)
- Genus: Pholiota (Scaly)
- Species: Pholiota flammans (Flame scales)
Hat: the diameter of the cap is from 4 to 7 cm. The surface of the cap has a bright yellow color. Dry, covered with sparse, bristly upwardly twisted small scales. The scales are lighter in color than the cap itself. The scales form an almost regular pattern on the cap in the form of concentric ovals.
A young mushroom has a convex cap, which later becomes flat, spread. The edges of the cap remain, rolled inward. The hat is fleshy. The color can vary from lemon to bright red.
Pulp: not very thin, soft, has a yellowish tinge, pungent odor and astringent bitter taste. When broken, the yellowish color of the pulp changes to a brown color.
Spore powder: brown.
Plates: in a young mushroom, the plates are yellowish, in a mature mushroom, they are brown-yellow. Notched plates adhered to the cap. Narrow, dense, orange or golden when young, and dirty yellow in adulthood.
Stem: The smooth stem of the mushroom has a characteristic ring. In the upper part, above the ring, the surface of the leg is smooth, in the lower part it is scaly, rough. The leg has a straight cylindrical shape. In a young mushroom, the leg is solid, then it becomes hollow. The ring is placed very high, it is densely covered with scales. The leg has the same red color as the cap. With age, the scales climb a little, and the ring on the leg does not last long. The height of the leg is up to 8 cm. The diameter is up to 1 cm. The pulp in the leg is fibrous and very tough, brownish in color.
Edibility: Flame scales (pholiota flammans) are not eaten, but the mushroom is not poisonous. It is considered inedible due to its unpleasant odor and bitter taste.
Similarity: fiery scales can easily be mistaken for ordinary scales, the surface of the cap and legs of which are also covered with scales. In addition, these two mushrooms grow in the same places. You can unknowingly confuse fiery scales with other representatives of this genus, but if you know all the features of Pholiota flammans, then the fungus is easily identified.
Distribution: Fiery scales are found quite rarely, as a rule, singly. It grows from mid-July to late September. Prefers mixed and coniferous forests, grows mainly on stumps and deadwoods of conifers.
Notes: Fiery scales cannot be called the most colorful and original. The fleecy flake looks much more original and surprising, and the golden flake is much brighter.