Content
Stemonitis axifera is an amazing organism belonging to the Stemonitov family and the Stemontis genus. It was first described and named by Volos by the axial French mycologist Buyyard in 1791. Later, at the end of the 19th century, Thomas McBride referred it to the Stemonitis, which classification has survived to this day.
This species is a myxomycete showing signs of the animal and plant kingdoms at different stages of its development.
Stemonitis axial coral red
Where does stemonitis axial grow
This unique organism is a recognized cosmopolitan. Distributed throughout the globe, with the exception of the polar and circumpolar regions. In Russia, it can be found everywhere, especially in the taiga. It settles on the remains of dead wood: fallen rotting trunks and stumps, dead wood, coniferous and deciduous decay, thin twigs.
It begins to appear in forests and parks at the end of June and continues to grow until late autumn. The peak of development falls on the period from early August to mid-September. An interesting feature of these organisms is the ability of the plasmodium to move at an average speed of 1 cm per hour and freeze, becoming covered with a dry crust, as soon as the external environment becomes too dry. Then fruiting bodies begin to grow, inside which spores develop. Ripening, they leave the thinned shell, spread around the neighborhood.
Stemonitis axial is one of the slime molds and has a very characteristic appearance
What does the axial stemonitis look like
Plasmodia developing from spores have a white or light yellow, greenish-light green color. Only the fruit bodies emerging from the plasmodia have a spherical appearance, white or yellowish-olive in color, collected in close groups.
At the initial stage of development, the body looks like white or yellowish caviar.
As the fruiting bodies develop, they take on a characteristic stamen-like, pointed-cylindrical shape. Some specimens reach 2 cm in height, on average, their length ranges from 0.5 to 1.5 cm.The surface is smooth, as if translucent, at first white or light yellow with a greenish tinge.
At the very beginning of the development of sporangia, snow-white, translucent
Then it becomes amber yellow, orange-ocher, coral red and dark chocolate color. A brownish-red or ash-colored spore powder covering the surface makes it velvety and easily crumbles. Legs are black, varnish-shiny, thin, like hairs, grow up to 0.7 cm.
Is it possible to eat axial stemonitis
The mushroom is classified as an inedible species due to its small size and unattractive appearance. Research on their nutritional value and taste, as well as safety for the human body has not been carried out.
Stemonitis axial settles on dead wood in detached, but closely knit groups
Conclusion
Stemonitis axial is a representative of a unique class of "animal mushrooms". It can be found in forests and parks anywhere in the world with the exception of the Arctic and Antarctic. It grows from mid-summer to late autumn, until the first frost hits.It is classified as an inedible species, there is no data on poisonous or toxic substances in its composition in open sources. Various types of stemonitis are very similar to each other, it is impossible to distinguish them without laboratory research.
