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White pig tricolor or Melanoleuca tricolor, Clitocybe tricolor, Tricholoma tricolor - the names of one representative of the Tricholomaceae family. It is listed in the Red Book of the Krasnoyarsk Territory as a relict species.
Where does the tricolor white pig grow
The tricolor white pig is a rare species that scientists have attributed to the group of nemoral relics of the Tertiary age. The fungus is on the verge of extinction due to the massive felling of black forests, taiga and deciduous. In 2012, tricolor leukopaxillus was listed in the Red Book as an endangered species in the Krasnoyarsk Territory.
In Russia, the distribution area is scattered, the species is found in:
- pine perennial massifs of Altai;
- the forest-steppe zone of the right bank of the Volga;
- the middle part of the Angara region;
- untouched taiga Sayan.
Very rarely seen in Central Europe and the Baltic republics. Isolated cases when fruiting bodies were found in the Penza region and on the Crimean peninsula near Sevastopol. These are data from scientific expeditions. It is almost impossible for a non-mycologist to distinguish a rare species from other white pigs, but upon closer examination, the mushroom does not resemble any representative of the family.
Mushrooms grow more often under birches in small groups. In the mild climate of the Southern regions, it can be found under beech or oak, in temperate climates under the pine trees. Long-term fruiting - from the first half of July to September. The fungus is a saprotroph, located on the litter of decayed foliage. Possibly attached to birch, forming mycorrhizal symbiosis with the root system.
What does the tricolor white pig look like?
One of the very large species with a thick, fleshy fruiting body. The diameter of the cap of a mature specimen reaches 5 cm. This is a record figure in the world of mushrooms. The color is not monochromatic, the surface is three-colored, there are areas with a light brown, ocher or chestnut color.
The external characteristics of the tricolor white pig are as follows:
- At the beginning of development, the cap is convex, rounded, of regular shape with clearly concave edges. Then they straighten, form partially curved waves. The size of the upper part of the fruiting body in adult specimens is up to 30 cm.
- The protective film of young mushrooms is matte, smooth, with a fine felt coating. Then scales are formed on the surface, tightly pressed against it. The location is not continuous, each site is separated by barely noticeable furrows. This structure gives the fruiting body a marble structure.
- The surface of the cap at the site of the rupture of the scales is white, areas of different colors, so the color is not monochromatic, more often three-colored.
- The spore-bearing lower layer of the species is lamellar, plates of different lengths. Along the edge of the cap, short ones alternate with large ones, reaching the leg with a clear, even border.
- The structure is watery, wadded, the color is monotonous, closer to a yellow-beige shade, the edges are with dark areas. Plates are even, free, wide - 1.5-2 cm, densely arranged.
- Spores are needle-like, large, buffy in color.
- The stem is central, short relative to the size of the cap, grows up to 13 cm long. The form near the mycelium is clavate, 6-9 cm thick.Tapers up to 4 cm wide.
- The surface is rough, in places finely flaked. The color is white, less often the same with the plates, monochromatic. At the base, on the thickening, there is soil with fragments of mycelium.
- The structure is fibrous, dense, solid.
Is it possible to eat a tricolor white pig
The mushroom is considered edible, but there is very little information about this; isolated sources classify the white pig as the fourth category in terms of nutritional value. This section also includes conditionally edible mushrooms. In the majority of biological reference books, information on edibility is absent, as well as on toxicity.
An unpleasant, pungent smell is alarming, it may be possible to get rid of it during processing, but not a fact. One way or another, the tricolor white pig is so rare that it is almost impossible to collect it. Even experienced mushroom pickers will be scared off by the smell and dissimilarity of a large fruiting body to familiar common species.
Conclusion
The relict mushroom, the tricolor white pig, has been added to the Red Book as an endangered species protected by law. Fungi are found in rare cases, the distribution area is scattered from southern latitudes to temperate regions. The humus saprotroph grows more often under birches on rotted leaf litter from late summer to early autumn. Can be found under oak trees, but only in mild climates.
