The most unusual mushrooms: photos, names and descriptions of edible and inedible fruit bodies
Mother Nature is generous with surprises. Some mushrooms have such an unusual shape that one can only marvel at their bizarre outlines. There are fruiting bodies that resemble a disc or funnel, others resemble a brain or saddle, and sometimes there are those that resemble stars. Photos and descriptions of the most unusual mushrooms can be found in this material.
Unusual mushrooms from the families Discinova and Lobaceous
Ordinary line (Gyromitra esculenta).
Family: Discinaceae
Season: end of April - end of May
Growth: singly and in groups
Description:
The leg is slightly folded, often narrowed towards the base, hollow, light.
The pulp is waxy, fragile, light, without a special smell.
The edge of the cap is adhered to the stem almost along its entire length. The cap, wrinkled-folded, brain-shaped, brown, brightens with age. Inside the cap is sinuous-hollow
This unusual shape is poisonous. Contains gyromitrins, which destroy the blood, as well as the central nervous system, liver and gastrointestinal tract.
Ecology and distribution: It grows in mixed and coniferous forests, in young pine plantations, in clearings, along roads.
Curly loafer (Helvella crispa).
Family: Lobe (Helvellaceae).
Season: end of August - October.
Growth: singly and in groups.
Description:
The pulp is brittle, whitish, odorless.
Cap, curved, two- or four-lobed, light yellow or ocher. The edge of the cap is free, wavy, sometimes adherent.
The leg is pitted-furrowed, widened towards the base, hollow, light.
Conditionally edible mushroom of poor quality. It is used fresh (after preliminary boiling with a decoction drain) and dried.
See what this unusual mushroom looks like in the photo:
Ecology and distribution:
Grows in deciduous and mixed forests, shrubs, grass, roads. It is rare.
Lobules (Helvetia lacunosa).
Family: Lobe (Helvellaceae).
Season: July - September.
Growth: singly and in groups.
Description:
The cap is formed by two or three irregularly saddle lobes, grayish-bluish to dark gray in color.
Leg - irregularly cylindrical or in the form of a narrow club, pitted, with sharp edges, gray tones.
The pulp is very brittle, the taste and smell of young mushrooms are spicy, with age they become musty, earthy.
An unusual mushroom called pitted lobe is conditionally edible. Young specimens are tasty, although somewhat tough.
Ecology and distribution:
Grows in deciduous and mixed, less often in coniferous forests, on bare ground and among vegetation. Prefers acidic soils.
Mushrooms of an unusual shape from the Morel family
High morel (Morchella elata).
Family: Morels (Morchellaceae).
Season: April June.
Growth: singly and in small groups.
Description:
The flesh is white, tender, hollow inside, with an earthy or mushroom odor. The cells are olive brown, in mature mushrooms they are brown or black-brown.
The cap is narrow, conical, covered with cells, bounded by more or less parallel vertical narrow folds. The edge of the cap at a young age extends beyond the border of the connection with the pedicle, smoothes over time, smoothly passes into the pedicle.
The leg is folded, widened at the base, hollow, whitish in young mushrooms, later yellowish or ocher. the color of the fungus darkens with age.
Conditionally edible mushroom. Suitable for food after boiling for 10-15 minutes (the broth is drained), or after drying for 30-40 days.
Ecology and distribution:
It grows on soil in coniferous and deciduous forests, often in grassy meadows and forest edges, in gardens and vegetable gardens.
Real morel (Morchella esculenta).
Family: Morels (Morchellaceae).
Season: early May - mid June.
Growth: singly and in groups.
Description:
The leg grows together with the edge of the cap.
The mushroom is hollow inside. The cap is rounded, brown, coarsely meshed.
The pulp is waxy, brittle, with a pleasant groin and taste. The leg is whitish or yellowish, widened at the bottom, often notched.
Delicious conditionally edible mushroom. Suitable for food after boiling for 10-15 minutes (the broth is drained), or dried.
Ecology and distribution:
It grows in light deciduous, as well as mixed and coniferous forests, in parks and gardens, on grassy lawns and forest edges, under bushes, in clearings.
Conical cap (Verpa conica).
Family: Morels (Morchellaceae).
Season: April May.
Growth: singly and scattered in groups.
Description:
The leg is cylindrical or laterally flattened, hollow, brittle, covered with pityriasis scales; the color is white, then turns yellow.
The cap is bell-conical, brown tones.
The pulp is tender, fragile. The surface of the cap is covered with shallow wrinkles, sometimes almost smooth, crumpled, usually present at the top.
This unusual mushroom is edible, requires preliminary boiling (the broth is drained).
Ecology and distribution:
It grows in deciduous, mixed and floodplain forests, shrubs, forest belts, more often next to aspens, willows, birches. It is rare.
Veinous saucer (Disciotis venosa).
Family: Morels (Morchellaceae).
Season: April May.
Growth: singly or in small groups.
Description:
The outer surface is smooth, mealy or finely flaked, folded, whitish or buffy.
The pulp is brittle, with a mild taste and smell of chlorine. The inner surface is smooth, ocher at first, then becomes radially ribbed, brown.
The fruit body is fleshy, first cupped or saucer-shaped, then flat.
The short stem is submerged in the soil.
Poor quality edible mushroom. Requires pre-cooking to remove unpleasant odors.
Ecology and distribution:
It grows on sandy soil in forests of various types, along roads, ravines, along stream banks, in clearings.
Unusual mushrooms from the Lociye family
Cup-shaped and disc-shaped, funnel-shaped mushrooms.
Lemon Bisporella (Bisporella citrina).
Family: Leotiaceae (Leotiaceae).
Season: mid-September - late October.
Growth: in large dense groups.
Description:
The fruiting bodies are at first teardrop-shaped, convex. The surface is dull, lemon yellow or light yellow.
With age, the fruiting bodies acquire a disc-shaped or cup-shaped shape.
Downward, the fruiting bodies are extended into a narrowed "stem", sometimes degenerate.
Due to its small size, it does not represent nutritional value.
Ecology and distribution:
It grows in deciduous and mixed forests, on decaying deciduous wood (birch, linden, oak), on trunks, often at the end of a log - on the horizontal surface of log cabins and stumps, on branches.
Bulgaria inquinans.
Family: Leotiaceae (Leotiaceae).
Season: mid-September - November.
Growth: in groups.
Description:
The pulp is gelatinous-elastic, dense, ocher-brown, when dry it becomes tough.
The black upper surface leaves marks on the fingers. The ripe fruit body is in the shape of a wide glass.
Young specimens are goblet, brown.
The mushroom is inedible.
Ecology and distribution:
It grows on dead wood and deciduous trees (oak, aspen).
Pure Neobulgaria (Neobulgaria pura).
Family: Leotiaceae (Leotiaceae).
Season: mid-September - November.
Growth: dense accrete groups.
Description:
The inner surface is shiny, gray, grayish-bluish or grayish-brownish. The lateral surface is finely warty.
The pulp is fleshy, gelatinous, tender.
The fruit body is cup-shaped, prominent, conically narrowed towards the base.
The mushroom is inedible.
Ecology and distribution:
Grows on dead branches of deciduous trees (birch).
Mushrooms of an unusual shape from the families Otydeyevy and Pecitsy
Otidea donkey (Otidea onotica).
Family: Otideaceae (Otideaceae).
Season: early July - mid-October.
Growth: in groups.
Description:
The fruit body is ear-shaped, with curled edges. The inner surface is yellow-ocher, yellow-orange with a reddish tinge and rusty spots.
The pulp is thin, leathery, odorless.
The outer surface is ocher, matt, with a distinct short stem.
Poor quality edible mushroom. It is used fresh after preliminary boiling.
Ecology and distribution:
Grows on soil in deciduous and mixed forests. Distributed in the European part of Russia and the Urals.
Brown Pecica (Peziza badia).
Family: Pecceae (Pezizaceae).
Season: mid-May - September.
Growth: in groups.
Description:
The outer surface is chestnut, grainy; the inner surface is smooth, shiny brown in wet weather.
The fruit body is sessile, hemispherical in youth, then gradually opens. The mature fruit body is saucer-shaped with neatly tucked edges.
The pulp is brown, brittle, watery.
The edible mushroom is of very poor quality. It is used fresh after preliminary boiling, as well as dried.
Ecology and distribution:
It grows only in moist places on the soil in coniferous and mixed forests, on dead deciduous wood (aspen, birch), on stumps, near roads.
Pecica vesiculosus (Peziza vesiculosa).
Family: Pecceae (Pezizaceae).
Season: end of May - October.
Growth: in groups and singly.
Description:
The fruit body is at first almost spherical, then it becomes cupped with a torn, curled edge. The inner surface is matt or slightly shiny, beige, light brownish in color with an olive tint.
The outer surface is brownish-brownish, mealy. Old fruiting bodies are saucer-shaped, often with a lobed dried edge, sessile or with a very short stem.
The pulp is brittle, waxy, brownish.
Information on edibility is contradictory. According to some reports, it can be used as food after boiling.
Ecology and distribution:
It grows in moist places on fertilized soil in forests and gardens, on rotten deciduous wood (birch, aspen), in landfills and flower beds.
Unusual mushrooms from the families Pyronem and Sarcosciths
Orange Aleuria (Aleuria aurantia).
Family: Pyronemataceae.
Season: end of May - mid-September.
Growth: in groups.
Description:
The fruiting body is sessile, cupped, saucer-shaped or ear-shaped. The edges are curved unevenly. The outer surface is dull, dull, covered with white pubescence.
The pulp is whitish, thin, brittle, without a pronounced smell and taste.
The inner surface is bright orange, smooth.
Poor quality edible mushroom. It is used fresh after preliminary boiling (for example, to decorate a salad) or dried.
Ecology and distribution:
It grows in deciduous and mixed forests on soil and decaying wood, in damp, but lighted, bright places, in wet meadows, in gardens, near roads.
Saucer-shaped scutellin (Scutellinia scutellata).
Family: Pyronemataceae.
Season: end of May - November.
Growth: in large dense groups.
Description:
Mature fruiting bodies are cupped or disc-shaped, sessile. Young fruiting bodies are spherical, on a "stalk". The edge is framed with dark brown or almost black hairs.
The pulp is thin, reddish, without any special taste or smell.
The inner surface is smooth, red-orange; the outer surface is light brown.
It has no nutritional value due to its small size.
Ecology and distribution:
It grows in damp places, on swampy lowlands on damp rotting wood (birch, aspen, less often pine) and branches immersed in the soil.
Austrian Sarcoscypha (Sarcoscypha austriaca).
Family: Sarcoscyphase (Sarcoscyphaceae).
Season: early April - mid-May.
Growth: in groups.
Description:
The inner surface is smooth, matte, bright red; the outer surface is vertically grooved, whitish or pinkish.
The pulp is dense, with a pleasant mushroom smell. The fruit body is goblet or cupped.
Leg tapering downwards. In old age, the fruiting bodies sometimes take a disc-shaped shape.
Poor quality edible mushroom. Requires preliminary boiling. Can be used to decorate dishes.
Ecology and distribution:
Grows in forests and parks on humus-rich soil, on moss, decaying wood, rotten leaves or root rot.
Mushrooms of an unusual shape from the families Chanterelle and Veselkovye
Horn-shaped funnel (Craterellus cornucopioides).
Family: Chanterelle (Cantharellaceae).
Season: early July - late September.
Growth: groups-concretions and colonies.
Description:
The outer surface is coarsely folded, waxy, gray; the cap is tubular, passing into a hollow stem.
Stem narrowed towards the base, brownish or black-brownish, rigid.
The pulp is brittle, filmy, gray; the inner surface is fibrous-wrinkled, brownish, gray-brown, brown-black or almost black; the edge is turned down, uneven.
The upper tubular part is eaten fresh and dried. In Western Europe, the mushroom is considered a delicacy.
Ecology and distribution:
Grows in deciduous and mixed forests, in humid places, near roads.
Yellowing chanterelle (Cantharellus lutescens).
Family: Chanterelle (Cantharellaceae).
Season: Aug. Sept.
Growth: in groups.
Description:
The pulp is dense, slightly rubbery, brittle, yellowish.
Stem narrowed towards the base, curved, golden yellow. The mushroom is tubular from the cap to the base.
The cap is thin, elastic, dry, yellowish-brown. The plates in young mushrooms are not pronounced; later sinuous, yellow or orange, then gray.
Edible mushroom. It is consumed fresh (after boiling) and dried. In the form of finely ground powder, it is used for soups and sauces.
Ecology and distribution:
Grows in coniferous, more often spruce, forests.
Star-shaped and trellised mushrooms.
Clathrus archeri.
Family: Veselkovye (Phallaceae).
Season: July - October.
Growth: in groups and singly.
Description:
The blades are initially fused at the apices, and after separation of the blades, the mushroom takes on a star-shaped shape.
The inner surface of the blades is spongy, covered with olive spots of spore-bearing mucus with a strong unpleasant odor. At the egg stage, the fungus is covered with a skin and a jelly-like membrane under it.
The young fruiting body is ovoid, grayish.
Nutritionally irrelevant.
Ecology and distribution:
Grows in the soil of deciduous and mixed forests, meadows and parks. Occurs on sand dunes.
The lattice is red (Clathrus ruber).
Family: Veselkovye (Phallaceae).
Season: spring - autumn.
Growth: in groups and singly.
Description:
The ripe fruit body has the appearance of a spherical lattice of red color. The pulp is spongy, tender, and in ripe form has an unpleasant odor.
At the base of the fruiting body, remnants of a membranous veil are visible. White or brownish immature bodies are ovoid.
The inner surface of mature specimens is covered with olive-brown spore-bearing mucus.
Inedible mushroom.
Ecology and distribution:
Grows on forest litter and on the remains of decaying wood. In Russia, it is occasionally found in the Krasnodar Territory. Listed in the Red Book of Russia.
Unusual mushrooms from the families Star and Pseudo-raincoats
Fringed starfish (Geastrum fimbriatum).
Family: Starfish (Geastraceae).
Season: autumn.
Growth: in groups or rings.
Description:
The fruit body is initially spherical and develops in the ground. Later, the three-layer, rigid shell breaks open and spreads outward like a star.
The hole for the exit of spores is fringed.
The spore sac is light gray, with a thin shell.
Individual blades begin to curl as the fruiting body emerges from the ground.
Young globular fruiting bodies can be eaten, but their flesh is poorly digested.
Ecology and distribution:
Grows on a litter in alkaline soil under coniferous and deciduous trees.
Schmidel's starfish (Geastrum schmidelii).
Family: Starfish (Geastraceae).
Season: July - September.
Growth: in groups and singly.
Description of the unusual mushroom star Schmidel:
The spore sac is leathery, brown, with a small pedicle; the opening for the exit of spores is surrounded by a fibrous fringe.
The inner side of the shell is smooth, rarely cracking, from light brownish yellow to light brown.
The thin outer shell of the fruiting body is torn into 5-8 unequal sharp lobes, turning downward.
Inedible mushroom.
Ecology and distribution:
Grows on soil and litter in deciduous and coniferous forests and forest plantations, in steppes on soil. Prefers light sandy soils. In Russia, it is found in the southern regions of the European part, Siberia and the Far East.
The earth star is triple (Geastrum triplex).
Family: Starfish (Geastraceae).
Season: the end of summer is autumn.
Growth: in groups.
Description:
The outer layer of the shell, when ripe, forms a "star". The young fruit body has a turnip shape.
The hole for the exit of spores is surrounded by a depressed platform. The inner layer of the shell forms a characteristic “collar”.
The spore sac is brownish.
Inedible mushroom.
Ecology and distribution:
Grows in deciduous and mixed forests, among fallen leaves and needles.
Hygrometric starfish (Astraeus hygrometricus).
Family: False raincoats (Sclerodermatineae).
Season: year-round.
Growth: in groups.
Description:
When ripe, the outer shell cracks from top to bottom into 5-20 pointed blades. In dry weather, the blades bend, hiding the spore sac, and when the humidity rises, they straighten.
The inner surface of the blades is from gray to reddish-brown, rough, covered with a network of cracks and lighter scales. The spore sac is covered with a gray, gradually darkening shell.
The immature fruiting body is rounded, with a multilayered membrane, reddish brown.
Inedible mushroom.
Ecology and distribution:
It grows on dry, stony and sandy soil and on loams in sparse forests, steppes and semi-deserts. In Russia, it is found in the European part, in the North Caucasus, in Siberia, in the Far East.
Here you can see photos of unusual mushrooms, the names and descriptions of which are given above:
