Hepinia helvelloid (Guepinia helvelloides )
Systematics:
- Department: Basidiomycota (Basidiomycetes)
- Subdivision: Agaricomycotina (Agaricomycetes)
- Class: Agaricomycetes (Agaricomycetes)
- Subclass: Auriculariomycetidae
- Order: Auriculariales (Auriculariales)
- Family: Incertae sedis ()
- Genus: Guepinia (Gepinia)
- Species: Guepinia helvelloides (Hepinia helvelloid)
Synonyms:
-
Tremiscus helvelloides
- Huepinia helvelloid
- Tremella helvelloides
- Guepinia helvelloides
- Gyrocephalus helvelloides
- Phlogiotis helvelloides
- Tremella rufa
Description
Fruit bodies are salmon-pink, yellowish-reddish, dark orange. By old age, they acquire a reddish brown, brown color. They look translucent and resemble confectionery jelly. The surface is smooth, with age – wrinkled or streaked, with a whitish matte coating on the outer, spore-bearing side. The transition from stem to cap is almost invisible, the stem is conical in shape, and the cap expands upward.
The dimensions of the mushroom are 4-10 centimeters in height and up to 17 cm in width. The form of young specimens is lingual, then takes the form of a funnel or ear. On the one hand, there is necessarily a split.
The edge of the 'funnel' may be slightly wavy.
Flesh: gelatinous, jelly-like, elastic, retains its shape well, more dense in the stem, cartilaginous, translucent, orange-red.
Spore powder: white.
Smell: not pronounced. Taste: watery.
Season and distribution
It grows from August to October, although there is mention of finds of Helvelloid hepineia in spring and early summer. It develops on rotten coniferous wood covered with earth. Occurs in felling areas, forest edges. Prefers calcareous soils. It can grow both alone and in bundles, aggregates. Widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, there are references to finds in South America.
Edibility
An edible mushroom, according to its taste, some sources attribute it to category 4 mushrooms, it is used boiled, fried, for decoration in salads or simply in salads. Can be consumed without pretreatment (raw). It is recommended to take only sufficiently young specimens, as the pulp becomes tough with age. In addition to being used raw in salads, the mushroom can be marinated in vinegar and added to snack salads or served as a stand-alone snack. Apparently, the appetizing look, reminiscent of sweet jelly, pushed the lovers of culinary delights to various experiments. Indeed, sweet dishes can be prepared from hepinia: the mushroom goes well with sugar. You can make jam or candied fruits, serve with ice cream, whipped cream, decorate cakes and pastries. There are mentions of using it to make wine by fermentation with yeast with wine.
Similar species
Guepinia helvelloides is so different from other species that it cannot be confused with any other fungus. Hericium is gelatinous in texture – the same dense jelly, but the shape and color of the mushroom are completely different. Some sources mention similarities with chanterelles – and indeed, some species (Cantharellus cinnabarinus) are outwardly similar, but only from a distance and with poor visibility. After all, chanterelles, unlike G. helvelloides, are completely normal mushrooms to the touch and they do not have a rubbery and gelatinous texture, and the spore-bearing side is folded, and not smooth, like in hepinia.
The article uses photos of our users, Eugene and Vladimir, thank you very much for the wonderful photos!
