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Colibia broadly lamellar (Udemansiella) is a species of fungi belonging to the Negniychnikov family. It is also popularly known as Wide-plate money.
What does Collibia wide-lamellar look like?
It is a lamellar mushroom with a thin stem, reaching 15 cm in diameter. It has a fine white pulp with a low odor.
Description of the hat
Cap sizes can vary from 50 to 150 mm. In young individuals, it has a bell-shaped shape; as it grows, it gradually opens up and bends up over time. A tubercle remains in the middle of the cap. The cap is gray or gray-brown, darker in the area of the tubercle. Due to the radial structure of the fibers in dry weather, the cap can crack at the edges.
The plates are brittle, wide, adherent to the stem, not often located. In young specimens, they are white, in adults, they darken and acquire a gray-brown tint.
Leg description
The leg thickness is from 5 to 30 mm and the height is from 50 to 150 mm. The stem, formed by longitudinal fibers, is usually cylindrical in shape, slightly tapering from the base to the cap. The color of the stem can vary from light gray to brown.
Is the mushroom edible or not
In different sources, you can find different information about the suitability of Colibia wide-lamellar for food. Experts classify it as conditionally edible. In addition, this species does not differ in pronounced taste. It may be of interest to mushroom pickers due to the fact that it can be harvested at the beginning of summer, long before the appearance of other mushrooms.
How to cook Colibia wide-plate
Colibia wide-lamellar is pre-boiled for 15 minutes to get rid of the unpleasant woody taste, then it is pickled, salted or fried.
Where and how it grows
Colibia is widespread in deciduous and mixed forests in the European part of Russia. It can be found in the Caucasus, the Far East, as well as in Western and Eastern Siberia.
The harvesting season for Colibia broad-lamellar begins in late spring and ends in mid-autumn. Solitary specimens or their clusters can be found on rotten stumps or fallen trunks of deciduous trees, most often oak, alder and birch.
Doubles and their differences
The edible mushroom of the IV-th category of Deer Plyutei, which has a similar appearance, can be confused with Colibia broad-lamellar. Reindeer can be distinguished by the following features:
- its spores are pink;
- the plates are pinkish, located noticeably more frequently than in Colibia;
- the smell of pulp is similar to the smell of radish;
- the plates do not reach the leg;
- no rhizoid cords.
Conclusion
Colibia broadly lamellar is a conditionally edible mushroom found throughout Russia. Little is known to amateur mushroom pickers, since it does not represent a great nutritional value, but it can be interesting due to the early start of the season, when there are no other mushrooms yet.
