Content
Bedham's wormwood (Leucocoprinus badhami) is a lamellar mushroom from the Champignon family and the genus Belonavoznikov (Leucocoprinus). Its other names:
- leucobolbitius, named by the Danish mycologist and politician Jacob Lange in 1952;
- mastocephalus is the name given to the mushroom by the Italian Giovanni Battarra in 1891.
It was first described and classified in 1888 by Narsis Patouillard, a French pharmacist and mycologist.
Where does Bedham's whitehead grow
The Belonavoznik Bedham is a rare species with an unusually wide range of distribution. In Russia, it can be found in the foothills of the Caucasus, in Udmurtia and Tatarstan, in the southern regions and Primorye.
Feels great in hotbeds and greenhouses, on piles of rotten debris and humus. It is found in deciduous and coniferous forests with an abundance of windbreaks and forest litter, in gardens, parks and in personal plots. Loves wet places, river floodplains, damp ravines and gullies. It settles in small, closely spaced groups, rarely singly. The fruiting period is from August to November, until persistently cold weather.
This type of fruiting bodies loves humus-rich alkaline soils and deposits of plant remains, warmed up due to decay processes
What does Bedham's white hat look like?
Only the fruiting bodies that have appeared have ovoid, spherical caps. Growing up, they first expand into a rounded dome, then transform into an umbrella with a noticeable spherical bulge at the top. Adult specimens have a prostrate shape. The edge is thin, often cracks and breaks off. The diameter of the cap is from 2.5-3.5 to 5-7 cm.
The surface is dry, velvety, matt. White, with small, densely appressed scales of a brownish-rusty color, denser at the apex. The color may change to a creamy gray.
The plates of the hymenophore in young specimens are covered with a dense cape, which, with age, remains on the edges of the cap and leg. They are frequent, not accreted, of equal length, distinctly separated from each other. White, creamy pinkish, with age they become saturated red. The spore powder is white, yellowish or creamy, and the pores themselves are colorless.
The stem is straight or slightly curved, thin and long, with a distinct ring closer to the cap. The surface is dry, covered with white down to the ring. Above is unpuffed. The length varies from 3-5 to 8-11 cm, with a diameter of 0.4 to 0.9-1.7 cm. The color is white, above the ring it is brownish-beige.
The pulp is thin, fragile, watery, pure white. Has a mushroom or unpleasant putrefactive smell.
Closer to the root, the leg of the mushroom expands noticeably
Is It Possible to Eat Bedham's White Bearer
The fruit body is an inedible species. There is no exact data on its toxicity; according to some sources, it contains substances hazardous to humans.
Conclusion
Bedham's whitehead is a rare, widespread species of lamellar mushrooms. Belongs to the Champignon family and the Belonavoznikov family. Inedible, possibly toxic. It is a saprotroph, settles on rich fertile substrates, in humid lowlands. On the territory of the Russian Federation, it is found in the Rostov Region, in the Stavropol Territory, in Udmurtia and Tatarstan. It can also be found in North America and Europe. The mycelium bears fruit from August to October. Grows in small groups in deciduous and coniferous forests, parks and gardens, on overheated manure.
