Milk mycena (Mycena galopus)
Systematics:- Department: Basidiomycota (Basidiomycetes)
- Subdivision: Agaricomycotina (Agaricomycetes)
- Class: Agaricomycetes (Agaricomycetes)
- Subclass: Agaricomycetidae (Agaricomycetes)
- Order: Agaricales (Agaric or Lamellar)
- Family: Mycenaceae (Mycene)
- Genus: Mycena (Mycena)
- Species: Mycena galopus (Mycena milk)
Synonyms :
Mycena leucogala
- Mycena fusconigra
Description
The hat is 1-2.5 cm in diameter, cone-shaped or bell-shaped, flattened with a tubercle with age, the edges can curl up. Radially furrowed, translucent striped, smooth, matte, as if frosty. The color is gray, gray-brownish. Darker in the center, lighter towards the edges. It can be almost white (M. galopus var. Alba), and up to almost black (M. galopus var. Nigra), it can be dark brown with tints of sepia. There is no private cover.
The pulp is white, extremely thin. Smell from completely indistinct, to a weak earthy or weak rare. The taste is not pronounced, soft.
The plates are not frequent, reaching the stem of 13-18 (up to 23) pieces in each mushroom, adherent, possibly with a tooth, possibly slightly descending. The color is initially white, with aging white-brownish or light gray-brownish. There are shortened plates that do not reach the stem, often more than half of all plates.
Spore powder is white. The spores are elongated (elliptical to almost cylindrical), amyloid, 11-14 x 5-6 μm.
The leg is 5-9 cm high, 1-3 mm in diameter, cylindrical, hollow, of the colors and shades of the cap, darker towards the bottom, lighter towards the top, even cylindrical, or slightly widening towards the bottom, coarse white fibers can be found on the leg. Medium elastic, not brittle, but breakable. On a cut or damage, with sufficient humidity, it does not release milky juice abundantly (for which it is called milk).
Habitat
It lives from the beginning of summer until the end of the mushroom season in forests of all types, grows in the presence of leaf or coniferous litter.
Similar species
Mycenae of other species of similar colors. In principle, there are a lot of similar mitcens growing on litter and from under it. But, only this one secretes milky juice. However, in dry weather, when the juice is not noticeable, it is easy to make mistakes. The presence of coarse white fibers at the bottom of the leg, together with the characteristic "frosty" appearance, will help out, but, in the absence of juice, this will not give a 100% guarantee, but will only greatly increase the probability. Some mycenes, like alkaline ones, will help remove odors. But, in general, distinguishing this mitcena from others in dry weather is not an easy task.
Edibility
This mycene belongs to edible mushrooms. But it is not of any gastronomic interest, since it is small, thin and not very mobile. Moreover, there are many chances to confuse it with other mycens, some of which are not only inedible, but also poisonous. Probably for this reason, in some of the sources, it is either considered inedible or not recommended for use in cooking.
Note
In some sources, Milk Mitcena means Hemimycena (or Hemimycene) dairy (Hemimycena lactea). This is a completely different mushroom. And the confusion arose because of its old name, it used to be Mycena lactea, which literally translates exactly as “Milk mycena”. But, nevertheless, the correct milk Mycena is this one. And that one is wrong, because it is not mycena, although it is milk.
Another "ambush" of some descriptions is that they attribute the species Mycena candida as a synonym for Mycena galopus var. alba, that is, the white form of this mycene - but this is not true. And the truth is that Mycena galopus var. candida is, yes, a synonym for var. alba. But Mycena candida is, again, not mycena at all, but the old name from Hemimycena candida.
Here is such a mess around these mitsen. In spite of everything, if you find these (and not those that are not) mycenae in the forest, and carefully examine them, you will notice that this fungus is very beautiful. By its beauty, not every mushroom can compare with it.