Thick-legged honey fungus (Armillaria gallica)
Systematics:- Department: Basidiomycota (Basidiomycetes)
- Subdivision: Agaricomycotina (Agaricomycetes)
- Class: Agaricomycetes (Agaricomycetes)
- Subclass: Agaricomycetidae (Agaricomycetes)
- Order: Agaricales (Agaric or Lamellar)
- Family: Physalacriaceae (Physalacriaceae)
- Genus: Armillaria (Honey)
- Species: Armillaria gallica
Synonyms:
- Armillaria bulbosa
- Armillaria lutea
- Bulbous mushroom
Armillaria gallica (lat. Armillaria gallica ) - type of mushroom, which is included in the genus honey agaric (Armillaria) Physalacriaceae family.
Hat:
The diameter of the cap of the thick-legged honey fungus is 3-8 cm, the shape of young mushrooms is hemispherical, with a wrapped edge, with age it opens to almost open; indefinite color, on average rather light, grayish-yellow. Depending on the place of growth and the characteristics of the population, there are both almost white and rather dark specimens. The cap is covered with small dark scales; as they grow older, the scales migrate to the center, leaving the edges almost smooth. The flesh of the cap is white, dense, with a pleasant "mushroom" smell.
Plates:
Slightly descending, frequent, yellowish at first, almost white, acquiring an ocher color with age. In overripe mushrooms, characteristic brown spots are visible on the plates.
Spore powder:
White.
Leg:
The length of the leg of the thick-legged honey fungus is 4-8 cm, diameter is 0.5-2 cm, cylindrical, usually with a tuberous swelling at the bottom, lighter than the cap. In the upper part - the remains of the ring. The ring is white, cobweb, delicate. The pulp of the leg is fibrous, tough.
Spread:
Fatfoot honey agaric grows from August to October (sometimes it comes across in July) on rotting tree remains, as well as on the soil (especially on the spruce litter). Unlike the dominant species Armillaria mellea, this variety, as a rule, does not infect living trees, and it bears fruit not in layers, but constantly (though not so abundantly). It grows on the soil in large groups, but, as a rule, does not grow into large bunches.
Similar species:
This variety differs from the "basic model" called Armillaria mellea, firstly, in the place of growth (mainly forest litter, including coniferous, less often stumps and dead roots, never living trees), and secondly, in the shape of the leg ( often, but not always the characteristic swelling in the lower part, for which this species was also called Armillaria bulbosa ), and thirdly, a special "spider-web" private veil. You can also notice that the thick-legged honey agaric, as a rule, is smaller and lower than the Autumn honey agaric, but this sign can hardly be called reliable.
In general, the classification of species previously united under the name Armillaria mellea is an extremely confusing matter. (They would have combined further, but genetic studies have inexorably shown that fungi, which have very similar and, what is most unpleasant, very flexible morphological characters, are still completely different species.) A certain Wolf, an American researcher, called the genus Armillaria a curse and shame of modern mycology, with which it is difficult to disagree. Each professional mycologist, seriously dealing with mushrooms of this genus, has his own view of its species composition. And there are many professionals in this row - as you know, Armillaria is the most dangerous parasite of the forest, and they do not spare money for its research.
Edibility:
One of the most popular commercially harvested mushrooms.
Pickers are generally reluctant to distinguish between autumn mushroom varieties and are easy to understand.