Content
Udemansiella mucosa (mucidula mucous, white, white slimy honey fungus) is a small-sized tree fungus belonging to the genus Udemansiella. Distributed in deciduous forests of Europe. There are both single specimens and in clusters of two to three specimens of peduncles accreted by the bases.
What does Udemansiella mucosa look like?
It is a beautiful translucent white or cream colored lamellar mushroom. The main distinguishing feature of Udemanciella mucosa is the presence of mucus on the cap and stalk. It is noteworthy that young specimens have an almost dry surface, which becomes covered with an increasingly thick layer of mucus with age.
Description of the hat
The thin head has a diameter of 30–90 mm. In the center it is brownish, towards the edges it is pure white, thinning and almost transparent. The young individual has a convex cap of a grayish-cream or gray-olive shade. With age, it brightens noticeably, acquiring a white color, and becomes more and more flat. The flesh is white, thin. Under the cap, rare wide plates of cream or milky white color are clearly visible.
Leg description
Has a straight or curved thin leg 40-60 mm high and 4-7 mm thick. It is fibrous, white, cylindrical in shape, tapering from the base to the cap, smooth, has a fixed ribbed ring. The ring and the upper part of the stem are covered with a white coating from spores. The lower part is mucous, the upper is dry.
Is the mushroom edible or not
Udemanciella of this species is edible, belongs to the IV-th category, that is, it is suitable for food, but does not represent nutritional and culinary value due to the lack of its own taste and poor chemical composition. If it is used for food, it is mixed with noble mushroom representatives.
Where and how it grows
Udemansiella mucosa grows in moist places on dry trunks or stumps of deciduous trees (maple, beech, oak). It can parasitize on living weakened trees, but does not do much harm to them. Most often it grows in clusters, but single specimens can also be found.
This variety is quite common in the world. In Russia, it can be found in the south of Primorye, in the Stavropol forests, much less often in the central part of Russia.
The season of appearance lasts from the second half of summer to mid-autumn.
Doubles and their differences
It is not difficult to recognize Udemanciella mucosa due to the characteristic morphological features (color, shape of the mushroom body, the presence of mucus) and the peculiarities of growth. It has no explicit counterparts.
Conclusion
Udemanciella mucosa is a common but little-known mushroom that is edible, but of little value from a culinary point of view.
