Content
The pistil horned belongs to the conditionally edible mushrooms from the Clavariadelphaceae family, the Clavariadelphus genus. Many people do not eat it because of its bitter taste. This species is also called clavate or pistil claviadelfus.
Description of pistil slingshot
It looks like a mace and therefore in the common people the horned is called hercules. The leg is covered with longitudinal wrinkles. The color is light yellow or reddish, the base is felt, light.
Description of the pistil slingshot shown in the photo:
- fruiting body and stalk are not separated and form one whole;
- the mushroom can reach a height of 20 cm, but the average is 10 cm, the diameter is about 3 cm;
- the shape is elongated, expanding at the top.
The pistil horned has a white spore powder. The pulp quickly turns brown on the cut, does not have a smell, and is painted in an even yellowish tint. It is characterized by a spongy structure.
The mushroom is included in the Red Book of Russia and is rare. Grows in deciduous forests and calcareous soil. It can be found in beech groves.
It actively begins to appear from mid-August, the peak of fruiting occurs at the end of the month. It can occur in the first two weeks of September, in rare cases, a second wave appears - in October.
Is it possible to eat pistil horned
In some sources, the mushroom is mistakenly called inedible. Pistil horned is not classified as poisonous, but because of its specific taste, few people like it. Therefore, it is usually prepared with other mushrooms.
For mushroom pickers, the pestle horn is of little interest, but its inclusion in the Red Book is easily explained: every year the number of beech forests decreases, and myceliums die along with the trees.
Taste qualities of the pistil horned mushroom
Differs in low and specific taste. The pulp is bitter and of little use. Long-term boiling can solve this problem, but it is better to mix pistil horned with other mushrooms. Young specimens have the least bitterness, but the taste of the pulp is not particularly remarkable.
It is undesirable to preserve, pickle and dry. The species is on the verge of extinction, so it is undesirable to collect it in large numbers.
Benefits and harm to the body
This type of mushroom does not have any special taste, but it can be used for medicinal purposes. The fruiting body contains substances of the tryptamine group, which are very important for the functioning of the body.
In folk medicine, it is used to treat Ehrlich's carcinoma and Crocker's sarcoma. But there is no scientific evidence of their effectiveness.
The fungus is not a poisonous species and therefore its use cannot be fatal. But it can provoke indigestion and cause unpleasant taste sensations.
False doubles
The pistil slingshot has no dangerous counterparts. Therefore, mushroom pickers may not be afraid that they will find a poisonous variety. A close relative is a truncated horned horn, but its cap is flat, not rounded. Otherwise, they are similar - in size, color and structure of the flesh. Widespread in coniferous forests.
There is a fusiform horn... It belongs to the inedible, but not dangerous species. The body is elongated, even, cylindrical. The colors are yellow and fawn; on the cut and when pressed, the color does not change or darken.
There is also a serpentine horn.... Mushrooms resemble a head of cauliflower - many shoots of a reddish hue grow from one base. The bases are white, the branches have small sharp edges on top.
Unlike the pistil horned, it is endowed with good taste, it also belongs to endangered species. Therefore, it is undesirable to collect it.
There is also a gray slingshot, similar to corals. The twigs are single or accrete, off-white in color. The pulp does not differ in taste or smell, it is very fragile. The mushroom is edible, but due to the lack of special qualities, it is not eaten.
Use
When collecting, only young specimens should be cut off, since the older the pistil horned, the more bitter it will be. Therefore, it is better to take small shoots.
Due to the peculiarities of the structure, each mushroom is thoroughly washed under running water. Large amounts of debris and dirt can accumulate between the fruit bodies. Therefore, cleaning must be thorough.
The collected pistil horns are soaked in a large amount of cold water for several hours. To prevent them from floating up, you can press them with a plate or a small lid. Some mushroom pickers add 2 tbsp. l. salt to neutralize bitterness.
After soaking, the mushrooms are boiled in water with the addition of table salt. When boiling, the fire is slightly reduced and left to boil for half an hour. The water is drained, the pestle horns are thoroughly washed under running water.
Boil the mushrooms again in salted water for 20 minutes. Drain the water. After this treatment, pistil slingshots are fried with vegetables, added to soups or sauces. Due to the special aroma, you should not add a lot of herbs and spices.
Conclusion
Pistil horned is distinguished by multi-stage processing during preparation and low taste. Therefore, he is not very popular among mushroom pickers and few people are looking for him. Sometimes people are attracted to an unusual shape.
If a person wants to collect a pistil horned, then the description with the photo will help him to correctly determine the type of mushroom. It is important to consider all the signs of the specimens. In case of doubt, it is best not to touch the mushrooms.
