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Morgan's Umbrella is a representative of the Champignon family, the Macrolepiota genus. Belongs to the group of lamellar, has other names: Lepiota or Morgan's Chlorophyllum.
The mushroom is poisonous, however, due to the similarity with other specimens, lovers of quiet hunting often confuse it with edible groups.
The use of this species poses a serious danger to the human body. Therefore, it is important to be able to distinguish these mushrooms before going into the forest.
Where does Morgan's umbrella mushroom grow
The habitat of the species is open areas, meadows, lawns, as well as golf courses. Less commonly, representatives of this species can be found in the forest. They grow both singly and in groups. The fruiting period begins in June and lasts until October. Lepiota Morgana is common in tropical regions of Central and South America, Asia and Oceania. The species can often be found in North America, in particular in the north and southwest of the United States (including in such metropolitan areas as New York, Michigan), less often in Turkey and Israel. The distribution area in Russia has not been studied.
What does Morgan's lepiota look like?
The mushroom has a brittle, fleshy spherical cap that is 8-25 cm in diameter. As it grows, it becomes prostrate and depressed in the center.
The color of the cap can be white or light brown, with dark scales in the center.
When pressed, the shade changes to reddish brown. Morgan's umbrella is characterized by free, wide plates, which, as they ripen, change color from white to olive green.
The light leg expands towards the base, has fibrous brownish scales
The fungus is characterized by a mobile, sometimes falling off double ring 12 to 16 cm long. Initially, the white pulp becomes red with age, with a yellow tint at the break.
Is it possible to eat Morgan's chlorophyllum
This mushroom is classified as highly poisonous due to the high content of toxic protein in the composition. The use of fruit bodies can cause diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and lead to poisoning, in the worst case - to death.
False doubles
One of the false counterparts of Morgan's umbrella is the poisonous Lepiota swollen. This is a mushroom with a small cap 5-6 cm in diameter, which changes shape from convex-bell-shaped to open as it grows.
The surface of the mushroom can be beige, white-yellow or reddish. Scales are densely located on it, especially along the edges of the cap.
The hollow, fibrous stem reaches up to 8 cm in height. There is an almost imperceptible ring on its surface.
You can rarely meet the species. The fruiting period lasts from August to September. Places of growth of Lepiota swollen spore - forests of different types. This mushroom variety is distributed in small groups.
Morgan's umbrella is also often confused with the variegated edible umbrella. The twin has a large cap up to 30-40 cm in diameter. It is distinguished by an ovoid shape, as it grows, turning into a spread umbrella-shaped one.
The surface of the mushroom can be white-gray, whitish or brown. There are large lagging scales on it.
The cylindrical brown leg, up to 30 cm high, has a white ring.
The mushroom grows in forests, gardens. Its fruiting period lasts from July to October.
Collection rules and use
When harvesting, mushroom pickers bypass Morgan's umbrella: due to its high toxicity, the species is strictly forbidden to be used for culinary purposes. There are no substances useful for the human body in the composition of the fruit bodies, therefore chlorophyllum is of no value even as an external remedy. You can recognize a poisonous mushroom by its peculiarity to change its color: due to the high content of toxic protein compounds, the flesh of Morgan's umbrella becomes brown when it comes into contact with oxygen.
Conclusion
Morgan's Umbrella is a poisonous mushroom that grows in open areas singly or in groups. The species has several false counterparts, which is important for lovers of quiet hunting. Representatives of this variety can be distinguished by the ability of the pulp to change color when the fruit body is broken.
