Description of a pale-colored talker
The talker's hat resembles a loudspeaker in its shape, which is why the mushroom is called a "talker". The fruit body is small. The hat is small, 3-5 centimeters in diameter, fleshy. There is a clear dark center in the center of the cap.
The shape of young mushrooms is convex, lumpy, the edges are bent, when the mushrooms grow, the cap becomes depressed, funnel-shaped, and the edges look like teeth. In wet weather, the hat becomes sticky. The color of the cap may vary depending on the weather. At high humidity, the hat is grayish-ash in color, it seems that it is covered with a white bloom, over time it becomes watery, gray-brown in color. In good dry weather, the cap brightens, its color becomes whitish-brown or whitish-gray, while it is highly dehydrated.
The leg of a poorly colored talker is thin, bare. Its length is 3-6 centimeters, and its width does not exceed 0.4-0.8 centimeters. At a young age, the shape of the leg is clavate, but with age it becomes cylindrical, the base descends and expands. The color of the leg is lighter in comparison with the cap - pale brown. The lower part of the leg is dark. The legs of young talkers are covered with a whitish powder that looks like dust.
The flesh of the govorushka is pale, thin, watery, gray or white, and has the smell of barn dust. When dried, the mushroom emits a faint musty odor. The pulp does not have a characteristic taste and aroma. The plates are grayish in color, often located, slightly descending to the pedicle. The size of the spores is 5-7 × 3-4 µm, they are located in 4 pieces on the basidia. The shape of the spores is elliptical. Spore white powder.
Places of distribution of weakly colored talker
Pale-colored talkers grow everywhere in Europe, they are also widespread in our country. In Russia, they grow in the Primorsky Territory, in Siberia. Most often, these mushrooms grow in deciduous forests, but they also come across in mixed and coniferous forests.
Weakly colored talkers can be found under birches, spruces, oaks and willows. As a substrate, they choose a substrate from the leaves of trees that grow nearby. The type of soil for these mushrooms does not matter.
As a rule, weakly colored talkers grow alone, but sometimes they are found in small groups, and in rare cases they form "witch circles" in which there are up to 100 fruit chalk. They begin to bear fruit in the second half of August, and the latest specimens are found in November.
The inedibility of a pale-colored talker
As noted, this is an inedible mushroom, it is not suitable for consumption, and some sources contain information that it is poisonous. Having eaten a weakly colored govorushka, a person will not die, but may end up in a hospital bed for several days due to severe poisoning.
Similar species
The slightly colored talker is similar to other species of the Govorushek genus. Outwardly, it is similar to a grooved govorushka, but it is larger in size and does not wrinkle after the rain.
Young pale-colored talkers are similar to winter talkers. But winter talkers are edible. When collecting mushrooms, you should be especially vigilant, because poisonous and edible talkers are very similar to each other. Distinguishing between edible and inedible talkers is not easy. Poisonous talkers remain dry on the cut, and bitter milk begins to pour from the edible fruit bodies.
Poisonous and inedible species of govorushka mushroom
Whitish or whitish talker (Clitocybe candicans)
Whitish talker is a poisonous mushroom, contains muscarine.
The diameter of the cap is 1-4 cm, the shape of young mushrooms is flat-convex, then it becomes flat, depressed, but not funnel-shaped. The surface is covered with a whitish waxy coating, the color is pale grayish or pale reddish.The pulp is grayish-white, watery, strong aroma is similar to the smell of tomato leaves, the taste is bitter, unpleasant. The leg is 2-4 cm long, 0.2-0.4 cm thick, cylindrical, pinkish or grayish-white in color.
Grows in large groups on decaying foliage and needles in deciduous and mixed forests. Occurs in Eurasia and North America from September to mid-October.
Inedible mushroom.
The hat is 3-4 cm in diameter, convex in shape, with a curled edge, smooth, hazel or ocher-reddish in color. Young mushrooms have darker caps. The surface is smooth, shiny, without plaque. The pulp is pale-whitish in color, the taste is soft, the smell is not pronounced. Leg length 2.5-3.5 cm, thickness 0.4-0.6 cm, reddish brown color, cylindrical shape. The surface is dry, matt, bare.
Grows in groups, arcs or rows in pine, rarely in birch forests, the season begins in May and lasts until September. The mushroom is widespread in the Caucasus, Western Siberia, the Far East, Western Europe, North Africa.
Pale-colored talker (Clitocybe metachroa)
Inedible mushroom.
The hat is 3-5 cm in diameter, flat-convex in shape, becomes depressed and funnel-shaped with age, light beige or brownish. Leg length 3-6 cm, thickness 0.4-0.8 cm, pale brown color, cylindrical shape. The flesh is whitish or grayish in color, thin, taste and smell are not expressed.
Inhabits deciduous forests, grows singly or in small groups.
Smoky talker (Clitocybe nebularis)
The diameter of the cap is 5-15 cm, in young mushrooms the shape is hemispherical or convex, the edge is wrapped, in mature mushrooms it is convex-prostrate, the edge is wavy. In wet weather, the cap is gray or yellowish brown; in dry weather it becomes light. The pulp is white, the color does not change on the cut, the structure is fleshy, brittle, dense. The smell and taste are changeable. The leg is 6-10 cm long and 1.5-3 cm thick, dense, clavate.
The mushroom grows in coniferous and mixed forests, in groups, often in circles. The species is widely found in the Northern Hemisphere. The season starts in August and lasts until the end of November.
Smoky talker is considered a mushroom of low quality, it is eaten only after boiling, but it can cause severe digestive disorders.
Leaf-loving talker, waxy, or grayish (Clitocybe phyllophila)
One of the most poisonous mushrooms among talkers.
The cap is 2-9.5 cm in diameter, flat-convex, flattens with age. The color of the cap is whitish or grayish-cream, with spots. The pulp is whitish, with a strong flour, herbaceous or sweetish aroma. The taste is insipid. The leg is 3-7 cm long, 0.5-1.5 cm thick, cylindrical, cream or white.
Grows in large groups, tight rings in forests, on decaying foliage and needles. Occurs throughout Eurasia, from September to late autumn.
Reddish or furrowed talker (Clitocybe rivulosa)
A dangerous poisonous mushroom.
The diameter of the cap is 2-4 cm, the shape is convex, the edge is tucked up, then it becomes prostrate, flat or depressed, with a wavy edge. The color of young mushrooms ranges from powdery white, white-gray and pink-fawn, in old ones - to ocher and pinkish-brown. The surface is covered with a powdery coating. The pulp is fine-fleshy, with an elastic, fibrous structure, white in color, which does not change on the cut. Mushroom flavor; the aroma is sweetish, pleasant. The leg is 2-4 cm long, 0.4-0.8 cm in diameter, cylindrical, white or grayish, with spots.
Grows in small groups in meadows and pastures, forest edges and clearings in deciduous and mixed forests, in parks, in the temperate climatic zone of the Northern Hemisphere.
Characteristic features of talkers
Talkers belong to the type of cap mushrooms and the family of ordinary ones. They also have some differences between themselves that need to be studied in order to distinguish edible varieties from inedible ones. There are also poisonous varieties in the genus, so only experienced mushroom pickers are recommended to collect this species.
Appearance and photos
All representatives have medium or small fruiting bodies.The average diameter of the cap is 3-7 cm. The cap is mainly of light shades, sometimes grayish, there is a small depression in the center - it has a funnel-shaped shape.
The hat is smooth and dry to the touch. The stem of the mushrooms is thin and high. On the back of the cap there are thin, white plates that go to the top of the stem. The spore powder of the fungus is light, sometimes creamy.
Place of distribution
You can meet talkers most often in deciduous forests. It is there that they form mycorrhiza with trees. Organisms grow in groups, which are often called the witch's circle. This phenomenon is accompanied by the growth of a large number of mushrooms in a circle, with an empty space in the center.
In addition to forests, this species can also be found in grassy areas, for example, in meadows or in parks. On the territory of Russia, mushrooms are common in temperate climates, and can also be found in the forests of Siberia and in the Primorsky Territory.
Collection rules
Experienced mushroom pickers recommend collecting talkers from mid-August to October. Their peak yields are in mid-September. Many varieties of talkers grow in groups, making harvesting much easier.
The place of collection of talkers depends on the characteristics of the variety, however, most of them grow in forests near trees, where a large number of fallen leaves or moss prevail.
Smoky talker mushroom and his photo
Category: conditionally edible.
Another name: smoky gray talker.
Smoky talker hat (Clitocybe nebularis) (diameter 7-23 cm): glossy, usually ashy, dirty yellow or light brown, strongly fades in the sun and can become almost white or light gray. It has the shape of a hemisphere, with a slight bulge in the center, over time it becomes almost prostrate. The edges are usually wavy and uneven. Smooth to the touch.
Leg (height 5-15 cm): smooth or with a slight white bloom, slightly lighter in color than the cap.
As you can see in the photo of the smoky govorushka, the stem of the mushroom is very dense, usually has a strong thickening almost at the very base.
In young mushrooms it is filled with fibrous substance, and in old ones it is hollow.
Blades: Usually dirty or light yellow, thin and frequent. They do not adhere to the stem and are easily separated from the cap.
Flesh: firm, white in color, which does not change when cut and when interacting with air. The taste can be sour, very sweet or spicy. And the smell can resemble the acrid smell of rot, or the scent of flowers or fruits.
Doubles: tin entoloma (Entoloma sinuatum), but it has an ocher-colored cap and light pink plates.
When it grows: from early August to mid-November in temperate northern hemisphere countries.
Where can you find it: in mixed or coniferous forests. It often grows on rotten leaves and branches, not far from spruce and birch trees, forming "witch's circles".
Eating: young mushrooms are consumed after pre-boiling (for about 20 minutes). Insufficient heat treatment can cause moderate eating disorders. Under no circumstances should it be eaten raw. The talker is considered to be of little value, as it boils down a lot.
Application in traditional medicine: traditional healers do not use. For official medicine, the antibiotic nebularin is produced from this type of mushroom.
Pale talker
pale-colored talker
pale-colored talker
pale-colored talker
pale-colored talker
or poorly colored talker
✎ Affiliation and generic features
A pale-colored talker (and she is weakly colored) (lat.Clitocybe metachroa) is a species from the genus talker (clitocybe) (lat.Clitocybe), a large family of Tricholomaceae (ryadovykh) (lat.Ticholomataceae) and a very large order of agaric (lamellar) (lat. Agaricales), which various sources consider an inedible or even poisonous mushroom. The epithet "pale-colored" or "weakly colored" got the talker for a very corresponding pale (weak) color of the fruit body. Information about the toxicity or food unsuitability of the pale-colored talker is rather contradictory.So, some sources attribute it to inedible species, others to poisonous. Both are right in their own way, since the pale-colored govorushka contains some unexplored toxic substances that cause intestinal and gastric poisoning, and in the case of a large amount, even serious ones. Therefore, in Russia, the pale-colored govorushka is treated in this way, relying on the golden rule of the mushroom picker - "I'm not sure, don't take it!" In general, it is not worth picking such mushrooms, especially since the pale-colored talker can cause not only disturbances in the digestive processes, but also lead to very severe poisoning.
✎ Similar views
The pale-colored talker in nature bears a resemblance to many species of its genus. She looks like an inedible grayish (or grooved) talker, which, in comparison with her, has a larger size, prefers spruce and pine (coniferous) bedding, a cap that is not wrinkled and does not swell after rain, and pulp with a noticeable flour smell. At a young age, the pale-colored govorushka is very similar to the conditionally edible winter govorushka, which is distinguished by a different growth period and suitability for eating. In general, in relation to talking mushrooms, there is one useful observation:
Therefore, when collecting talker mushrooms, you should be careful and very careful.
✎ Distribution in nature and seasonality
The pale-colored talker is often found in coniferous, deciduous, mixed forests and even more often in deciduous forests, where it forms a myriosa with broad-leaved trees, living in symbiosis with birches, oaks and willows, choosing the basis from their fallen leaves, as well as under pines and spruces (in coniferous forests), choosing a litter from needles, regardless of the type of soil, alone or in small groups, sometimes even gathering in "witch circles". The well-known govorushka is pale in color in the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere and can be seen in the vastness of North America, Eurasia or North Africa. In Russia, she is also known, for example, in Siberia and in the Primorsky Territory. The beginning of ripening in the pale-colored govorushka falls in the second half of August, the main peak of its growth falls on the end of September, and late specimens can be found in November.
✎ Brief description and application
The pale-colored talker is a lamellar mushroom and the spores with which it reproduces are in the plates. The plates are frequent and narrow, first adherent, then descending to the pedicle, pale gray in color. The cap of young fruits is at first convex and tuberous, with edges curved inward, then prostrate and depressed in the center, deeply pitted, with fenced edges, hygrophane in wet weather (swelling under the influence of moisture) and slightly sticky to the touch, grayish-ash, or grayish brownish with white bloom; in dry weather it turns pale and becomes whitish-grayish, or whitish-brownish with a distinct dark center. The leg is thin, smooth, rarely slightly curved, cylindrical, hollow inside, initially grayish with a whitish coating and then turns dull brown. The pulp is thin, soft, slightly watery, whitish in color, without a characteristic taste and smell, but sometimes it seems that it smells like barn dust, and the dried fruit smells musty.
The pale-colored talker is not used for food.
