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The white float belongs to the genus Amanita, but is considered edible and even useful. However, the mushroom looks like poisonous twins, therefore it is not very popular with mushroom pickers.
What does a mushroom white float look like?
There are several types of floats, and white and snow-white are different mushrooms, but both are conditionally edible. The white float belongs to the department Basidiomycota (Basidiomycota), the genus Amanita and has several names:
- edible fly agaric;
- pusher;
- white shape of gray float;
- Agaricus vaginatus var. albus
- the obsolete ones are Amanita alba, Amanitopsis albida and Amanitopsis vaginata var. alba.
The white relative of the poisonous red fly agaric is born from a protective sac - the vulva, which, when ruptured, does not disappear anywhere, remaining at the base of the mushroom leg throughout its life.
Description of the hat
Like all floats, a young albino has an egg-shaped cap first, then in the form of a bell, which turns into a semicircular or prostrate as it grows, sometimes with a tubercle in the center. Reaches a diameter of 10-12 cm.
Ribbed edges, grooves are typical for all edible representatives of the genus. Sometimes white flakes can be seen at the edges - these are the remnants of the vulva.
The surface of the white float head is dry or slightly sticky. In hot weather, it is bright white or ocher, in rainy weather it is dirty gray.
The plates are wide, light, like spore powder.
The pulp is white, fragile, does not change color when cut. A mushroom aroma, barely perceptible. The taste is weak.
Leg description
The white float grows up to 20 cm, but most often the height is 6-10 cm. The leg has a cylindrical or clavate shape, with a thickening at the base. The color is white, the structure is fibrous, the surface is smooth or scaly-fluffy, diameter is 1-2 cm.
In young mushrooms, the leg is dense, then it becomes hollow, very fragile. The ring on the pedicle is absent at any age, at the base is visible a large white vulva, submerged in the ground.
Where and how it grows
The float prefers loneliness, is rare, does not grow in a permanent place, bears fruit every 2-3 years. It is more likely to find a mushroom in a birch grove, because it forms mycorrhiza with this tree. But it is found in coniferous and mixed forests, in grass or among shrubs. Prefers loamy fertile soils of Russia, northern and western Europe, including the entire territory of Ukraine and Belarus. Finding it on the Karelian Peninsula is a great success; in 7 years only a few pieces have been discovered.
Fruiting occurs from mid-July to late September.
Is the mushroom edible or not
There are disputes between mushroom pickers about the taste of white floats, but scientists have no doubts about the usefulness and edibility of pushers. This species contains useful trace elements and vitamins, among which the B group predominates. They also contain betaine, which has a beneficial effect on metabolism.
The float is eaten fried and boiled in many countries.
Before use, they are thoroughly cleaned and washed from dirt, boiled for at least 30 minutes in salted water, the broth is drained and various dishes are prepared with white floats, including winter preparations (salted and pickled).
If the rules for cooking are not followed, inflammatory symptoms occur in the stomach and small intestine, this is due to the presence of resinous substances in the mushrooms.
The presence of betaine in pushers has led to the fact that mushrooms are used in medicine to treat diseases of the liver, gallbladder and kidneys, as well as breast cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and prostate adenoma.
Doubles and their differences
There are not many poisonous counterparts in the white float, but each is deadly:
- White (spring) fly agaric in terms of the composition of poisons, it is equivalent to a white (not pale) toadstool. Extremely dangerous. It grows only from late April to mid-June.
- Amanita muscaria (White toadstool) Is the most dangerous twin of the white float. Maximum poisonous, small doses are fatal. It grows in the same period when the tolokachik appears. Has an unpleasant odor.
Inedible twins can be recognized by several signs:
- there is a ring on the leg (the white float does not have one);
- no scars on the edges of the cap;
- the vulva is not visible at the base.
But even these differences do not guarantee that it was the float that was found. In adult poisonous mushrooms, the ring may collapse and be absent, and it is difficult to determine the edibility of the species by the “embryo” that has not yet crawled out of the vulva.
Some pushers are also similar to each other, but all double-floats can be eaten:
- By the snow-white float there are gray-brown or ocher spots in the center of the cap. Conditionally edible.
- Pusher gray may come across white. An albino is practically indistinguishable in appearance from a white float, but it is also rare. Conditionally edible.
The float is distinguished from other fellows in the vulva: the gray float is also grayish, the saffron one is yellowish, and the brown one has reddish spots.
Conclusion
White floats are not recommended to be collected and eaten because these rare mushrooms can be easily confused with poisonous mushrooms that are dangerous to life and health. Only industrial cultivation of floats guarantees safety. If, nevertheless, the "float" has been eaten and there are signs of poisoning, you should immediately call an ambulance.
