Russula (lat. Russula) - these are the most common fungi in forests: they make up 30–45% of the mass of all mushrooms. Named so because some of their varieties can be eaten raw. There are edible and inedible specimens. How the russula looks like and how to determine whether a mushroom is poisonous in front of you or not, you can find out from our article.
Description of the family Russula
Russulae belong to the genus of agaric mushrooms of the order of the agaric family of Syerazhkov family. Their fruit bodies are fleshy, large. To learn russula in the forest can be on bright, different colors of caps with a diameter of 2-20 cm spherical, hemispherical, bell-shaped with white flesh and white straight legs. You can read about the color of russula in the section "Types of russules". The russula caps break well, which reduces the economic importance of these mushrooms. As they mature, they change their shape, become open, flat and funnel-shaped, sometimes twisted. Mushrooms have adherent descending plates with a blunt or sharp edge. The color of the dispute is from white to yellow.
Did you know? In order to determine which type of russula belongs - to a lamellar or tubular, you need to look under the cap. Its lower layer consists of many plates.
Russules grow in July, their mass appearance is recorded in August and early autumn. Basically, all of them are edible, only a small part of them are unsuitable for food due to weak toxicity or unpleasant taste. Suitable for use in fresh and pickled form. They are included in the third category of edible mushrooms, which includes mushrooms of average taste. Some are categorized below because they do not represent nutritional value.
Many may be interested in the question, under what tree does the Russula grow. The fact is that these mushrooms are mycorrhiza-forming plants with tree roots. They can often be found under deciduous species: oak, birch, alder, as well as under spruces and pines. Russules contain a number of useful substances, in particular, vitamins - in 1 kg of mushrooms there are 264 mg of vitamin B and 6 mg of vitamin PP.
Did you know? The best for eating are considered russula, which in the color of the caps more green, blue, yellow and less red.
Types of syroezhek (with photos)
In the nature of Eurasia, Australia, East Asia and America, usually in coniferous and deciduous forests, there are about 275 types of russules, we give a brief description of the most common.
Did you know? Since the differences between species of syrups are insignificant, sometimes chemical analysis or microscopic evidence may be necessary to accurately determine the type of fungus.
Edible Russula
Podgodzdok white (dry sink). Appears from July to October in coniferous and mixed forests. Recognizable by the white cap, sometimes with yellow patches and slightly pubescent edges. The shape of the cap varies from convex to funnel. Leg short, narrowed down, white or slightly brown. In cookery, dry soups prepare soups, fried dishes, pickled. His taste is pungent.
Yellow russula. It grows in wet birch and birch-pine forests. The time of appearance is July - October. At the very beginning has a hemispherical yellow hat. Over time, it changes to a flat and funnel. Reaches a diameter of 5-10 cm. A characteristic feature is a peeling skin on the edge of the cap. The legs are white. The plates are white, with time becoming pale yellow and gray. Yellow russula is ranked as the third category of edible mushrooms. It has a sweet, non-caustic taste. It is consumed fresh and salted.
Russula blue. Mushroom, found in coniferous forests. Hat with a diameter of 3-10 cm is painted blue. The color is uneven: it can be black-purple in the center, lighter towards the edge. The leg is white, 3-5 cm high.
Russula green. The inhabitant of coniferous and deciduous forests. It can be recognized by a yellowish-green flat-convex bonnet up to 10 cm in size. Despite its rather unattractive and inedible appearance, the mushroom has a pleasant taste. It is salted, fried and boiled.
Did you know? If you wonder what poisonous fungus you can easily confuse a green and greenish Russula, then this is a pale toadstool. However, syroezhek no ring on the leg and thickening at the base.
Food Russula. The hat of this russula has a beautiful and attractive color - red with gray spots. Her leg is smooth, white. Comes in July - September. It grows mainly in deciduous and coniferous forests.
Fried Russula. Appears in late summer - early autumn groups in deciduous forests. It has a pressed-on cap dark green and brown closer to the center. The leg is white with brown splashes at the base.
Marsh Russula. It got its name from the fact that it is often found in swampy areas, pine forests. Where russula marsh grows, it is usually damp and wet. It grows from June to September. At a young age has a bulging hat, in the future it becomes dented. It is painted red, closer to the center - brown. The leg is white, comes with a pink shade. The mushroom is delicious, suitable for boiling, frying, pickling and salting.
Green Russula. It grows throughout the summer until October. It inhabits deciduous and mixed forests, most often under birch trees. It has a large cap - up to 15 cm in diameter. In young fungi syroezhek it is hemispherical, with time goes into convex or prostrate. Painted in gray-green or bluish-green. In cooking, it is used for frying, boiling and salting after blanching.
Green and red russula. Begins to grow in the middle of summer. It is seen by a large convex-prostrate cap up to 20 cm of bright colors: red, yellow, purple. The foot has a height of 3-12 cm and a diameter of 4 cm, white, sometimes with a pink sheen.
Blue-yellow Russula. Mushrooms of this species can be collected from July to October. The caps of this species in a well-matured form are round-prostrate greenish or purple. The leg is thick, mostly white, but may be reddish and purple. Mushroom tastes good. Belongs to the third category.
Now you know what edible russules look like. There is also a category of conditionally edible mushrooms, which can have an unpleasant taste, be unsuitable for cooking, but suitable for pickling. Conditionally edible include: russule brown, maiden, ocher, golden yellow, beautiful, blackened podgruzkakh, podgruzdok white, black podgruzdok, walui, gray rusule and others.
And then we will get acquainted with inedible representatives of the family.
Inedible russules
Immediately it is necessary to make a reservation that there are no poisonous syroezek in the direct sense of the word. The category of inedible includes mushrooms that have a pungent, pungent taste, among them may be slightly toxic or toxic, causing irritation of the oral mucosa, mild gastrointestinal disorders when ingested. Many of them often have external signs similar to edible brethren, because of this they are called false russula. Inedible non-toxic mushrooms include: russula birch, red, pink, Kele, fragile, caustic, bilious and others.
Birch Russula. The hats of this russula have a variety of bright colors and shades: red, pink, purple, gray. Forms mycosis with birch roots. Occurs from June to November.
Russula red. It grows in pine forests in late summer - early September. The cap of this mushroom is small - up to 6 cm, flat-convex, dark red in color. This russula smells good and has a pungent taste.
Pink Russula. As well as the previous species, it is found in pine forests in August-September. The cap of her at the beginning of development has a convex shape, then it becomes prostrate. Painted in pink. Russula bitter taste.
Kele Russula. It has a small cap 3-8 cm in diameter. At different stages of development, it changes shape: it goes from semi-circular to concave-prostrate with ribbed edges. The color of her dark shades - red, purple, burgundy. Leg purple-red. The taste of this russula is pungent, the smell is pleasant.
Russula brittle. Usually grows in groups in all types of forests. Her hat is 3-5 cm, flat-prostrate with red skin. On the edges of the skin is light pink, brown to the center, purple with an olive tinge. The flesh is brittle, spicy to the taste.
The edible toxic fungi are the russula of Mayr and the russule of burning.
Mayra's Russula. The Russula has a number of characteristic features, a brief description will help you recognize it when you meet and pass by. First of all, it is a rich red hat. At first hemispherical shape, then flat, slightly depressed. The leg is white, may be brown or yellow at the base. It grows in beech forests. When used provokes mild poisoning.
The Russula is burning. It inhabits wet pine forests. It is characterized by a red or red-pink cap with a diameter of 10 cm, flat-convex, and later prostrate shape. It has a burning unpleasant taste and unpleasant smell.
How to distinguish edible from inedible russules
Determine whether the mushroom Russula before you - edible or not, can be on several grounds. So, for inedible, dense flesh, pink color of the end of a leg, no damage by worms, rough plates, a film or a skirt on a leg are characteristic. All non-edible types of syrozhek, as a rule (but not always), have a bright screaming color and an unpleasant smell. When cracking and boiling the flesh changes color.
Important! These characteristics are present in some edible types of russules.
You need to be very careful not to confuse edible green and greenish russula with a poisonous toadstool, which are somewhat similar. Here are the differences in the structure and color of the legs and caps that you may find useful.
Leg. In the russula it is straight, may be narrowed downwards, white. In the toadstool, it is thickened at the base in the form of a tuber, has a ring and light green or light yellow stains and veinlets.
Hat. Pale grebe has a film under the cap.
Important! Old pale toadstools may not have the characteristic features of poisonous mushrooms - rings on the leg.
First aid for mushroom poisoning
Although, as we have already written, russules do not pose a strong danger to human health, nevertheless, even with a mild degree of poisoning, eating a toxic fungus will require urgent assistance. In the case of russules, a mouth rinse is required, possibly causing vomiting and gastric lavage. In case of serious poisoning by poisonous mushrooms, damage to the gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system, CNS, liver and kidneys can occur. It is important to help with the first symptoms of poisoning. Since, for example, the treatment of lesions caused by a toadstool, carried out on the second day, will already be in vain.
Various poisonous fungi cause special effects when taken internally, but they will have diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. The first signs of poisoning can occur at different times, depending on the fungus eaten. So, for example, poisoning with pale toadstool will manifest itself within 8-18 hours, with lines - after 6-10 hours, with fly-agarics - after 30 minutes or 2-6 hours, with false mushrooms - after 1-6 hours. To remove the poison from the body, you can use vomiting. Her cause, drinking a glass of warm water with 1 tablespoon of salt or 1 teaspoon of mustard. You can also provoke vomiting by drinking a large amount of cool water, and then pressing two fingers on the root of the tongue.
Be sure to wash the stomach. After the procedure, a person needs to use activated charcoal (1-2 tablets per 1 kg of weight). As you can see, varieties of russules are many. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to distinguish between edible and inedible russines. Sometimes even such characteristics as color, smell and taste will not be able to help. Remember: at the slightest doubt whether a mushroom is good or poisonous in front of you, it is better to get rid of it.
