Content
Conocybe milky white is a lamellar mushroom of the Bolbitia family. In mycology, it is known under several names: milk conocybe, Conocybe albipes, Conocybe apala, Conocybe lactea. The biological cycle of the fruiting body is no more than 24 hours. The species does not represent nutritional value, it is classified as inedible.
What milky white conocybe looks like
A miniature mushroom with a contrasting color. The upper part is light cream in color, the lamellar layer is dark brown with a reddish tint. The structure is very fragile, the fruiting body breaks at the slightest touch.
The growing season is short. During the day, the mushrooms reach biological maturity and die. External characteristics of milky white conocybe:
- At the beginning of growth, the cap is oval, pressed against the stem, after a few hours it opens up to a dome-shaped shape, it is not prostrate.
- The surface is flat, dry, with radial longitudinal stripes. The central part with a conical sharpening, one tone darker than the main color of the surface.
- The edges of the cap are wavy, with easily identifiable points of attachment of the plates.
- The average diameter is 2 cm.
- The inner part consists of free thin, narrow, sparsely spaced plates. At the beginning of growth they are light brown, towards the end of the biological cycle they are brick-colored.
- The pulp is very thin, fragile, yellowish.
- The leg is very thin - up to 5 cm long, about 2 mm thick. Equal width at the base and cap. The structure is fibrous. When broken, it splits into several fragments in the form of a tape. The inner part is hollow, the coating is smooth to the top, fine-flaked near the cap. The color is milky white, the same as the surface of the cap.
Where milky white conocybe grows
The saprotroph species can exist only on fertile, aerated, moist soils. Mushrooms grow singly or in small groups. They are found at the edges of irrigated fields, among low grass, along the banks of water bodies, in swampy areas. Konocybe can be found in forests with different tree species, on forest edges or open glades, in pastures, floodplain meadows. Appear after precipitation. Fruiting from early to late summer in the Central and Southern regions.
Is it possible to eat milky white conocybe
No toxicity information available. The small size and fragility of the fruiting body makes the mushroom unattractive in gastronomic terms. The pulp is thin, tasteless and odorless, brittle. A one-day mushroom disintegrates from touch, it is simply impossible to harvest. Conocybe milky white belongs to the group of inedible species.
How to distinguish milky white conocybe
Outwardly, milky-white on the konocybe looks like dung beetle or koprinus.
Mushrooms are found only on fertile, light soils from late May to September. Begin to bear fruit after heavy rainfall. Distribution area - from the European part to the North Caucasus. They grow in dense numerous groups. Vegetation is also short, no more than two days. Conocybe and coprinus are similar in shape.Upon closer examination, the dung beetle turns out to be larger, the surface of the cap is finely flaked. The fruit body is not so fragile and thicker. The main difference: the pulp and the spore-bearing layer are dark purple in color. The dung beetle is conditionally edible.
Bolbitus golden, like the milky white conocybe, are ephemeral mushrooms.
Bolbitus is similar in size and shape of the fruiting body to the conocybe. At the moment of maturity, the color of the cap turns pale and becomes beige. At the beginning of growth, it is a bright yellow mushroom; by the end of the biological cycle, color remains only in the center of the cap. In terms of nutritional value, the species are in the same group.
Conclusion
Conocybe milky white is a small nondescript mushroom that grows throughout the summer season. Fruiting after precipitation, appears singly or in small groups. It is found in the Central and Southern regions near water bodies, irrigated fields, in forest glades. The mushroom is not poisonous, but does not represent nutritional value, therefore it is in the group of inedible ones.
