White pigeon tricolor (Leucopaxillus tricolor)
Systematics:
- Department: Basidiomycota (Basidiomycetes)
- Subdivision: Agaricomycotina (Agaricomycetes)
- Class: Agaricomycetes (Agaricomycetes)
- Subclass: Agaricomycetidae (Agaricomycetes)
- Order: Agaricales (Agaric or Lamellar)
- Family: Tricholomataceae (Tricholomaceae or Ordinary)
- Genus: Leucopaxillus (White pig)
- Species: Leucopaxillus tricolor
Synonyms:
- Clitocybe tricolor
- Melanoleuca tricolor
- Tricholoma tricolor
Leucopaxillus tricolor (Leucopaxillus tricolor (Peck) Kühner)
Description
Hat: large – up to 15 (25-30) cm in diameter and up to 4-5 cm in thickness, initially convex with a strongly curled edge, later simply convex to almost flat. The surface is matte, velvety, fine-flaked. The color is ocher, yellowish brown.
Hymenophore: lamellar. The plates are wide, frequent, light-gray-yellow, in old mushrooms the edge of the plates darkens, almost free, but sometimes short narrow plates remain on the stem.
Leg: thick – 3-5 cm, 6-8 (12) cm high, swollen at the base, dense, but sometimes with a cavity. White colour.
Flesh: white, thick, firm, does not change color at the break, with a powdery odor, tasteless.
Spore print: white.
Season: July-September.
Habitat: I found these mushrooms under birches, growing in rows of several pieces. In more southern regions, they are found under oak and beech trees; there is also a mention of growth in pine forests.
Habitat: a rare relict species with a broken habitat. In Russia, there are finds in Altai, in the Penza region, in Udmurtia, Bashkiria and some other regions. Also found in the Baltic countries, some Western European countries, in North America. Rare everywhere.
Conservation status: the species is included in the Red Data Books of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the Penza Region, the city of Sevastopol.
Edibility: I have never seen data on edibility or toxicity. Probably due to the rarity. I believe that, like all white pigs, it is not poisonous.
Similar species: at first glance, due to the velvety cap and size, it looks like a pig, it can also be confused with a white load, but a seasoned mushroom picker, having met this mushroom for the first time, and carefully examining it, will immediately understand that this is something completely irrelevant similar.
