Scaly polypore

2 Useful properties and contraindications

Polypore has the following medicinal properties:

• destroys bacterial infections;
• suppresses inflammatory processes;
• resists viral infections;
• has an expectorant and diuretic effect;
• accelerates tissue repair;
• has an antitumor effect;
• strengthens the body;
• has a rejuvenating effect.

Tinder fungus accelerates the breakdown of fats. Funds based on it remove poisons, radionuclides, toxic substances, carcinogens from the body. Tinder fungus has a beneficial effect on the digestive system, restores the intestinal microflora, relieves constipation. The fungus has a detrimental effect on the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, the causative agent of gastritis. Therefore, it is used for this disease, and for gastric ulcer and intestinal ulcer.

It has been found that tinder fungus also has a beneficial effect on hair, skin and nails.

The indications for the use of tinder fungus are as follows:

• pulmonary tuberculosis, pneumonia, pleurisy, bronchitis in acute and chronic form;
• kidney and bladder diseases;
• oncological diseases;
• gout;
• diseases of the pancreas;
• cirrhosis, hepatitis and other hepatic pathologies;
• peptic ulcer, gastritis;
• poisoning of various etiologies;
• obesity.

But it is not always allowed to use medicines made from tinder fungus, as they can cause an allergic reaction in the form of a skin rash.

People who are prone to allergies are advised to take mushroom products with caution. It is strictly forbidden to treat children with a polypore

Also contraindications include the period of pregnancy and lactation, urolithiasis, stones in the gallbladder.

Tinder fungus has a mild laxative effect, so it is not recommended to use it in case of diarrhea, so as not to aggravate the situation.

If the formulations are improperly prepared, then they cause dizziness, nausea, and vomiting in the patient.

Treatment with a tinder fungus must be carried out strictly under the supervision of a doctor.

Polyporus varius: photo and description

Tinder fungus (Cerioporus varius) is a representative of the Polyporovye family, the genus Cerioporus. A synonym for this name is Polyporus varius. This species is one of the most mysterious and poorly studied among all tinder fungi. Despite the very pleasant appearance and aroma, this specimen has no place in the general basket.

Description of the volatile polypore

The specimen has a pleasant mushroom aroma

The fruiting bodies of the variable tinder fungus are small, presented in the form of a small cap and a thin stem. The spores are smooth, cylindrical, and transparent. Spore white powder. Differs in elastic, thin and leathery pulp with a pleasant mushroom aroma.

Description of the hat

Spore-bearing layer finely porous, light ocher color

The cap of this specimen is spread with a deep central depression, reaches no more than 5 cm in diameter. At the initial stage of development, its edges are tucked up, and a little later they open. Painted in yellow-brown or ocher color, with time it acquires faded shades. The cap is smooth, fleshy in the center and thin at the edges, in old mushrooms it is fibrous. In wet weather, the surface is shiny, sometimes radial stripes appear.On the inner side there are small tubes of light ocher color, slightly rolling down on the stem.

Leg description

The flesh of this specimen is firm, while the old ones are woody.

The leg of the tinder fungus is straight and rather long, up to 7 cm in height, and up to 8 mm thick. Expands slightly at the top. In most cases, it is located in the center, rarely eccentric. Velvety to the touch, especially at the base. The structure is dense and fibrous. Painted in black or dark brown.

Where and how it grows

The favorite habitats of the tinder fungus are deciduous forests, especially where birch, oak and beech grows. It is also quite common on stumps, fallen branches and the remains of trees of any species. It settles not only in the forest, but also in parks and gardens. Located on wood, this species thereby contributes to the appearance of white rot. The best time for fruiting is from July to October. As a rule, it grows in the temperate northern zone. However, it is found in different parts of not only Russia, but also abroad. It can grow both singly and in groups.

Is the mushroom edible or not

Tinder fungus belongs to the category of inedible mushrooms. Despite its pleasant aroma, it has no nutritional value.

The species in question is not poisonous, but due to its tough pulp, it is not suitable for food.

Doubles and their differences

Tinder fungus, changeable in appearance, is similar to the following gifts of the forest:

1. Chestnut tinder fungus is inedible. The size of the fruiting body differs markedly from the variable one. So, the diameter of the double's hat varies from 15 to 25 cm. In addition, in this species, the leg is painted completely black. Quite often it can be found together with scaly tinder fungus.
2. May tinder fungus is an inedible specimen that begins its development in May. The color of the tubes and the shape of the cap are similar to the species in question. You can distinguish a double by a gray-brown scaly leg.
3. Winter tinder fungus - is considered inedible due to its tough pulp. The spore-bearing layer is finely porous, white or cream-colored. Despite the name, fruiting occurs from spring to autumn. The leg of this specimen is velvety, gray-brown, which is a distinguishing feature from the species in question. You can also recognize the double by the gray-brown or brown color of the cap.

Conclusion

Tinder fungus is a specimen that exhibits a radial pattern on the cap. It is quite easy to confuse it with some other polypores, but the distinguishing features are a tubular white layer, small pores, and a black and velvety stem at the base. In any case, all the varieties considered are not suitable for consumption, and therefore should not be included in the general basket for edible mushrooms.

Contraindications

Professional mushroom pickers advise not to experiment with medicines that have been prepared on the basis of tinder fungus, because they can cause an allergic reaction in the form of a skin rash. The mushroom in question has a mild laxative effect, therefore, when treating liver diseases, it is not recommended to use it for diarrhea, so as not to worsen your own well-being. For people suffering from urolithiasis, such recipes will not help either - the existing health troubles will only intensify, and the ailments that bother you will not disappear anywhere. Also, the main contraindication is the period of pregnancy (especially the last months) and breastfeeding.

If the selected formulations are improperly prepared, then they will also adversely affect the patient in the form of dizziness, nausea and vomiting. In any case, it is worth being treated with a tinder fungus only under the strict supervision of a personal doctor.

It is forbidden to use antibiotics and other potent drugs during treatment with a fungus.It is worth adjusting your usual diet, since during this period the patient is contraindicated in meat products (smoked meats and sausages, pickles), fatty broths, hot sauces, seasonings and spices, strong black tea and coffee in large quantities. Now the menu should be dairy-vegetable, with strict adherence to the dosage.

As for the tinder fungus, there are still active disputes: can this mushroom be considered edible or everyone risks poisoning it, is it suitable for medicinal tinctures or does it give absolutely no effect? This family has hundreds of species that differ in appearance and structure of the pulp, which means that the principle of application for each option should not duplicate other recommendations. If you use a tinder fungus under the close supervision of an experienced doctor, then the beneficial components of the mushroom can really help improve your health at home.

Preparation

Scaly tinder fungus by its taste belongs to category IV mushrooms. Only young mushrooms are suitable for use, rather soft and tender, which have not had time to lignify. It is easy to determine whether a tinder fungus is good for food: just pinch the edge of the cap - if it is brittle, then you can take the mushroom. The legs are not suitable for creating culinary masterpieces - they are too hard.

Scaly tinder fungus is well marinated and salted, fried and boiled, some housewives harvest it frozen for the winter, prepare aromatic soups. It is used for food or to create blanks after peeling the scales from the cap and pre-boiling finely chopped.

The scaly tinder fungus does not have poisonous counterparts, so even novice mushroom pickers can collect it without fear. And in addition to good taste, this mushroom has other useful properties: it is used in folk and traditional medicine. On its basis, various preparations are prepared that help to cope with the effects of toxic substances on the body, with inflammatory processes and the development of fungal diseases.

Culinary Application

Scaly polypore - a speckled woody delicacy

Although officially this mushroom belongs only to the fourth food category, the Hare enjoys a well-deserved fame as a mushroom delicacy, for its delicate taste and exquisite smell of young fruit chalk. It is successfully fried, soups are made from it, and it is also salted and pickled. In Udmurtia, this mushroom is called mekangubi, and is eaten without any preliminary boiling. However, it must be remembered that Scaly Tinder, nevertheless, belongs to the category of conditionally edible mushrooms, and there are certain rules for its use in food:

• Only young fruiting bodies should be collected. Checking the age is not difficult - pinch the edge of the hat - if it breaks and crumbles, you can eat.
• The collected fruit bodies must be soaked in water. Someone soaks for a whole day, but a couple of hours is enough. If soaking for a long time, then periodically change the water to fresh. Then the mushrooms must be boiled for 15 minutes - after that you can use them for culinary purposes as you like. The resulting broth can be used for soup.
• For cooking, the pulp of the cap is usually used, peeling off the skin with scales from it, but the legs are also edible.

Scaly polypore - a speckled woody delicacy

Tinder fungi are easy to prepare for future use:

Drying in the sun

1. Clean the fruit bodies from dirt and damaged fragments and wipe with a damp cloth.
2. Cut into medium sized pieces.
3. String on a thread, making sure that the pieces do not touch each other.
4. Hang to dry in a sunny place. You can slightly cover the pieces with a layer of gauze on top to protect them from insects.

Salting for the winter

Would need:

1. Salt - 120 gr.
2. Peeled and boiled mushrooms - 3kg.
3. Garlic - 5-6 medium-sized cloves.
4. Bay leaves - 6 pieces.
5. Black peppercorns - about 30 pieces.
6. Dill to taste.

The ingredients are placed in a salting container in this order:

• Chopped garlic, bay leaves, dill and black pepper.
• Mushrooms in a layer of 7 cm, then cover them with salt.
• Repeat this combination of layers up to the edge of the container.
• Close the top with a thick napkin, put under the load and remove in a dark place for a month.

Description

Tinder fungus has about 50 centimeters in diameter, while consisting of a huge number of branched legs, each of which has small and white caps. What is noteworthy is that, without exception, all branches of mushrooms are collected at the base into an attractive, at first glance, tuberous stem. A mushroom can have a lot of caps, sometimes up to 200 pieces, and each one has a diameter of at least four centimeters. The shape of the cap itself is round, this is in a young mushroom, but gradually acquires a flat-convex shape, has a certain depression in the central part, which is noteworthy that the color of the cap itself can be light brown or grayish brown.

In a branched tinder fungus, the flesh is white, fleshy, but in old mushrooms it gradually becomes coarse, leathery, has a slight smell of dill. The lower part of the cap itself is made of white, the tubes in its composition are extremely short. The spore powder is also white. This mushroom grows exclusively in mixed forests, at the base of trunks and stumps.

Mushroom picking time is from August to November. They are eaten, exclusively fresh, sometimes salted or even dried. The best solution would be to pick mushrooms at a young age, but if they are old, it is recommended to use only the cap itself for food separately.

Collection and procurement

You can collect tinder fungus all year round, while it is important to choose only live trees. The infusion is in boiling water, vodka or warm water.

It is better to store it in the refrigerator.

The infusion is in boiling water, vodka or warm water. It is better to store it in the refrigerator.

Medicines are prepared only from powder.

Description of scaly tinder fungus.

The fruit body is large - its diameter is 10-40 centimeters. The shape of the cap is at first kidney-shaped, and later becomes prostrate. The cap is very fleshy and thick. At the base, it is slightly depressed. The surface of the cap is leathery or yellow, with dark brown scales. The scales are arranged in symmetrical circles. The edges of the cap are fan-shaped, thin. The hats are arranged in a fan-like pattern like a tile.

The pulp is juicy, dense, with a very pleasant smell. In old fruit bodies, the pulp becomes woody. The lower part of the cap is tubular, yellowish. The tubular layer has rather large angular pores. Spore white powder, spores turn yellow with age.

The scaly tinder fungus has a thick, lateral leg, sometimes it is eccentric. Its width reaches 4 centimeters, and the length can reach 10 centimeters. The surface of the leg, like the cap, is dotted with brown scales. The base of the stem is darker and the lower part is lighter with a mesh pattern.

Areas of growth of scaly tinder fungi.

These mushrooms live on weakened living trees. Scaly polypores grow not only in deciduous forests, but also in parks. They settle alone or in groups. Sometimes they form small colonies in the form of fan-shaped clusters.

Fruiting is observed from May to August. Scaly tinder fungi cause the development of yellow and white rot on trees. Basically, this type of mushroom is found on elms. They prefer the southern regions, and hardly grow in the middle lane.

Scaly polypores are widespread in Europe and North America. They also grow in the Stavropol, Krasnodar Territories and in the Crimea. In addition, these mushrooms are found in the North Caucasus, the Far East, Eastern Siberia and Kamchatka.

Evaluation of the edibility of scaly tinder fungi.

Young fruiting bodies of scaly polypores can be eaten. They are assigned the 4th category of edibility. They need preliminary boiling. They can be stewed, fried, and also salted and pickled. They are used to prepare soups, side dishes, pie fillings and so on.Old tinder fungi are not suitable for food, as they become excessively tough. They should be harvested in the fall, while they have soft flesh.

Before cooking, the tinder fungi are soaked well for 12 hours, while every 1.5 hours the water is drained and replaced with a new one. Then the mushrooms are finely chopped and boiled well. Scaly polypores are boiled for about 40 minutes. Undercooked mushrooms are tough and sweet, and the sweetness is not even interrupted by the spices. Scaly tinder fungi, collected and prepared in a timely manner, are very tasty.

Scaly polypore (Cerioporus squamosus)

Synonyms:

• Polyporus squamosus
• Melanopus squamosus
• Polyporellus squamosus

Hat: the diameter of the cap is from 10 to 40 cm. The surface of the cap is leathery, yellow. The hat is covered with dark brown scales. At the edges, the cap is thin, fan-shaped. In the lower part, the cap is tubular, yellowish. At first, the cap is kidney-shaped, then it becomes prostrate. Very thick, fleshy. At the base, the cap can sometimes be slightly depressed. The scales are located on the cap in symmetrical circles. The flesh of the cap is juicy, dense and very pleasantly scented. With age, the pulp dries out and becomes woody.

Tubular layer: angular pores, rather large.

Stem: thick stem, often lateral, sometimes eccentric. The leg is short. At the base, the leg is darker in color. Covered with brown scales. In young specimens, the flesh of the leg is soft, whitish. Then it becomes corky, but retains a pleasant aroma. Leg length up to 10 cm. Width up to 4 cm. In the upper part, the leg is light, mesh.

Hymenophore: porous, light with large angular cells. The hats grow like a tile, fan-shaped.

Spore powder: white. The spores are almost white, descending along the peduncle. With age, the spore-bearing layer turns yellow.

Distribution: Scaly Tinder is found on living and weakened trees in parks and deciduous forests. Grows in groups or singly. Fruiting from May until the end of summer. Promotes the appearance of white or yellow rot on trees. It grows mainly on elms. Sometimes it can form small colonies of accrete fan-shaped fungi. Prefers the forests of the southern regions. In the middle lane, it practically does not occur.

Edible: young tinder fungus is eaten fresh, after preliminary boiling. You can also eat pickled and salted. Edible mushroom of the fourth category. Old mushrooms are not eaten, as they become very tough.

Similarity: The size of the mushroom, the black base of the stem, as well as brown scales on the cap do not allow this mushroom to be confused with any other species.

Video about the mushroom Tinder scaly:

Note: Previously, Scaly Tinder was a small mushroom with a cap covered with small scales. It seems that everything converged and the color and scales, but it was Tuberous Tinder, which is considered the younger brother of the large - Polyporus squamosus. This mushroom is completely unusual, a forest hero.

Rhodotus palmatus (Rhodotus palmatus)

Other names

• Dendrosarcus subpalmatus;
• Pleurotus subpalmatus;
• Gyrophila palmata;
• Rhodotus subpalmatus.

The palm-shaped Rhodotus is the only member of the genus Rhodotus, belonging to the Physalacriaceae family, and has a rather specific appearance. The pink or pinkish-orange cap of this fungus in mature fruiting bodies is densely speckled with a venous mesh. Because of this appearance, the described mushroom is often called a shriveled peach. The fruity aroma of the mushroom pulp contributed to the emergence of this name to some extent. The palatability of the palm-shaped rhodotus is not very good, the pulp is very bitter, elastic.

External description

The fruiting body of the palm-shaped rhodotus is hat-pectus. The mushroom cap has a diameter of 3-15 cm, a convex shape and a curved edge, very elastic, initially with a smooth surface, and in old mushrooms it is covered with a wrinkled venous mesh. Only sometimes the surface of the cap of this mushroom remains unchanged.The mesh appearing on the cap of the mushroom is slightly lighter in color than the rest of the surface, while the color of the cap between the wrinkled scars may change. The color of the surface will depend on how intense the lighting was during the development of the fruiting body of the fungus. It can be orange, salmon or pink. In young mushrooms, the fruiting body can secrete droplets of reddish liquid.

The leg of the mushroom is located in the center, more often - eccentric, has a length of 1-7 cm, and in diameter is 0.3-1.5 cm, sometimes hollow, the flesh of the leg is very hard, has a small edge on its surface, pinkish, but without a volva and a peri-cap ring ... The length of the leg will depend on how high-quality the illumination of the fruiting body was during the period of its development.

The mushroom flesh of the palm-shaped rhodotus is elastic, has a jelly-like layer located under the thin skin of the cap, a bitter taste and a barely pronounced fruity aroma, reminiscent of the smell of citrus fruits or apricots. When interacting with iron salts, the color of the pulp immediately changes, becoming dark green.

The hymenophore of the described fungus is lamellar. Elements of the hymenophore - plates, located freely, can be creeping along the stem of the fungus or notched-attached. Often they have an abdomen, greater thickness and frequency of location. Moreover, large plates of the hymenophore are often interspersed with small and thin ones. According to the color of the plate of the described fungus, they are pale-salmon-pink, some of them do not reach the edge of the cap and the base of the leg. Fungal spores are 5.5-7 * 5-7 (8) microns in size. Their surface is covered with warts, and the spores themselves are often spherical.

Season and habitat of the mushroom

Rhodotus palmatus belongs to the saprotroph category. He prefers to live mainly on stumps and trunks of deciduous trees. Occurs singly or in small groups, mainly on elm fallen trees. There is information about the growth of the described species of mushrooms on the wood of maple, American linden, horse chestnut. Griyu rhodotus palmate is widespread in many European countries, in Asia, North America, New Zealand, Africa. In mixed coniferous and deciduous forests, such mushrooms can be seen very rarely. Active fruiting of the palm-shaped rhodotus occurs from spring to late autumn.

Edibility

The palm-shaped rhodotus (Rhodotus palmatus) is inedible. In general, its nutritional properties have been little studied, but too hard pulp does not allow eating this mushroom. Actually, these properties of the pulp make the described type of mushrooms inedible.

Similar types and differences from them

The palm-shaped rhodotus has a rather specific appearance. The cap in young mushrooms of this species is pinkish, and in mature ones it is orange-pink, and on its surface, a net of thin and closely intertwined veins characteristic of this species is almost always visible. Such signs do not allow the described mushroom to be confused with any other, moreover, the pulp of the fruiting body has a clearly distinguishable fruity aroma.

Other information about the mushroom

Despite the fact that the Rhodotus palmate belongs to the number of inedible mushrooms, it has some medicinal properties. They were discovered in 2000 by a group of Spanish microbiologists. Research has confirmed that this type of fungus has good antimicrobial activity against human pathogens.

Rhodotus palmatus is included in the Red Book of several countries (Austria, Estonia, Romania, Poland, Norway, Germany, Sweden, Slovakia).

Widespread tree fungus: characteristic of the scaly tinder fungus

The scaly tinder fungus can be called differently: elm, and variegated tinder fungus, and motley, and hare. In appearance, it resembles discs or plates that have grown into a tree trunk.

Usually grows low.Sometimes it reaches a height of 10-12 meters, or vice versa, they grow almost out of the ground. Rotten stumps are perfect for the appearance of a scaly tinder fungus.

Appearance and distribution area

Young scaly tinder fungus has a helmet-like shape, but over time it changes to a fan-shaped hat. The cap grows up to 30-40 cm in diameter, covered with black or brown scales, located in concentric circles. Has thin and downward-curving edges of the cap, sometimes they are serrated. The caps are rather thick, fleshy, and have a juicy flesh. When broken, they give off a pleasant smell, similar to the smell of a half-baked bun, sometimes completely honey. As the mushroom matures, the cap becomes harsh to the touch. Most often colored yellow. The bottom is tubular, yellowish or white.

The leg of the scaly tinder fungus reaches a thickness of up to 4 cm in diameter, and is short. In some cases, the length reaches 8-10 cm. By location, it is mostly lateral and never grows from the center. The shape of the leg can be either straight or curved. It is dense in mass, but upward turns into a mesh, porous and loose. As for the color of the mushroom leg, it has a white, cream or yellowish tone. The color of the base is brown with black, covered with dark scales over the entire surface.

The scaled polypore is a widespread species in the deciduous forests of North America and Europe. In Russia, it grows in the Krasnodar Territory, Stavropol Territory and the Crimea. It is also found in the North Caucasus. A separate subspecies of scaly tinder fungus is also found in the forests of Eastern Siberia, the Far East, and even in Kamchatka.

The fungus grows not only in forests, but also in city parks, preferring weakened non-coniferous trees such as maple and sometimes beech. Most of all he loves to settle on an elm tree - hence its second name - an elm tree. Often, the mushroom grows in clusters, forming small colonies.

Medicinal properties

In official medicine, scaly tinder fungus is used in the basis of drugs. Mushroom medicine gives an excellent healing effect, aimed at restoring organs that have been intoxicated with toxic substances. These can be common poisons, heavy metals like mercury and even gases like sarin.

The medicinal properties of the scaly tinder fungus are also used in folk medicine. For a long time, recipes for the preparation of dry anti-inflammatory extracts and ointments have been known, which inhibit the growth of pathogenic fungi that develop on human skin and under nails.

Medicinal ointments are prepared from scaly tinder fungus

You can eat, but only carefully!

Scaly tinder fungus is a conditionally edible fungus, and only when fresh. That is, harvested in the spring, when its pulp is soft and fleshy. Later, the pulp becomes tough, like an old cork, crumbles easily and loses its flavor.

You can prepare delicious and varied dishes from the mushroom. There are cooking recipes that allow you to both fry, salt, marinate and dry, as well as cook pies with them, add to soups as a seasoning and much more.

The preparation of the scaly tinder fungus should be started immediately, after returning from the forest: the first step is to soak the mushroom well for 12 hours, but it can be longer. In this case, the water changes every 1-1.5 hours. Regardless of what kind of dish you are going to cook, the mushroom should first be finely chopped, and then boiled well. It should be boiled for at least 40 minutes, then peeled from the skin with scales. An undercooked mushroom turns out to be quite hard and slightly sweet in taste, and even the abundant use of spices will not knock this sweetness down.

Before cooking, the scaly tinder fungus must be soaked for at least twelve hours.

Timely collected and properly prepared scaly tinder fungus has amazing taste. Having prepared a dish from it at least once, you can fall in love with these woody mushrooms for life!

Chestnut tinder fungus (Picipes badius)

Synonyms:

Polyporus badius

Hat: The hat is usually quite large. Under favorable conditions, the cap can grow up to 25 cm in diameter. On average, the cap diameter is 5-15 cm. The cap has an irregular funnel-shaped shape. The hat seems to consist of several blades fused together. The cap is wavy at the edges. At an early age, the color of the cap is gray-brown, light. The surface of the cap of a mature mushroom has a rich brown, almost black color. In the central part, the cap is darker. At the edges, the cap is lighter, almost beige. The surface of the cap is shiny, smooth. In rainy weather, the surface of the cap is oily. The bottom of the cap has fine creamy white pores. With age, the pores acquire a yellowish brown color.

Flesh: thin, tough and elastic. The pulp is difficult to break or tear. Has a pleasant mushroom aroma. There is no particular taste.

Spore powder: white.

Tubular layer: tubules descending along the pedicle. The pores are small at first, white, then turn yellow and sometimes even turn brown. When pressed, the tubular layer turns yellow.

Leg: a thick and short leg up to four cm high. Up to two cm thick. Can be partially or completely eccentric. The color of the leg can be black or brown. The surface of the leg is velvety. The pore layer runs down the leg.

Distribution: Chestnut Tinder fungus is found on the remains of deciduous trees. Prefers moist soils. The fruiting period is from late May to mid-October. In good seasons, Tinder is found everywhere and abundantly. It often grows together with the Scaly Tinder fungus, the most prominent fungus of this genus.

Similarity: Picipes badius is a special mushroom due to its large size and radial brown cap. Therefore, it is difficult to find species similar to it. In May, only May Tinder can be confused with this mushroom, but its leg is neither velvety nor black, and it itself is not very similar. Winter Tinder is much smaller, and its pores are larger.

Edible: It is very difficult to check whether the mushroom is edible, as it is very tough even at a young age.

Notes: The Chestnut Tinder is striking in its scope of uselessness and meaninglessness. However, the Tinder family has many similar oddities. But, it is this mushroom that is striking in its fertility and size. Such mushrooms need to be carved out of wood, covered with bright varnish so that they become shiny and placed in the forest.