The spit mushroom is widely known throughout our country. It is found almost everywhere. Some of its varieties can be eaten subject to the rules of culinary processing. The willow plum mushroom has certain organoleptic characteristics and is a real storehouse of easily digestible vegetable protein. This page presents varieties of willow plute mushroom with photos and detailed characteristics.

The cap is broadly bell-shaped, then convex or flat, with a straight thin edge, smooth-fibrous, velvety or finely scaly, wrinkled, silky or slimy, in most species dimly colored. The plates are free, wide, white, then pink or brownish-pink, often with a flocculent-pubescent edge. The plate tram is inverse. The stalk is cylindrical, solid, longitudinally fibrous, in the genus Volvariella with a wide free volva. The pulp is soft, hyphae with or without buckles. The spore powder is pink, sometimes with a brownish or reddish tint. The spores are smooth, cyanophilic, non-amyloid, ovoid, broadly ellipsoidal, fusiform, almost round. The basidia are 4-sterigmous (only in some species 1- and 2-sterigmous). Cheilocystids are present in all species, bottle-shaped or club-shaped, sometimes thick-walled, with horn-like projections at the apex or fusiform-elongated, pleurocystids in some representatives.

Saprotrophs grow in forests on stumps and other wood debris, on fertilized soil in vegetable gardens, orchards, and fields. Basidiomas appear throughout the summer and autumn (until the onset of stable frosts).

Among the pluteae there are representatives that are edible, poisonous, and contain hallucinogenic substances; some are artificially cultivated on an industrial scale.

Distributed on all continents of the globe, with the exception of Antarctica.

Pluteus deer and his photo

The Deer Plute is the most commonly found variety. Look at the photos of Plutaeus deer - they show different stages of development of the fungus:

Photo gallery

Basidiomas are from small to large, differentiated into cap and stalk, gymnocarpous or pyleostipicarpous, the type of development is hemioacarpous, pylangiocarpous, paravelangiocarpous, pyleostipitocarpous. The cap and stem are heterogeneous (the cap is easily separated from the stem). The cap is broadly bell-shaped to convex-spread or prostrate, often with a tubercle and a ribbed-striped edge, silky, hairy, wrinkled or scaly, glossy or matte - from white to almost black, often grayish, brownish to umber-brown or with a yellow-orange tint. The plates are free, with plates, initially white, with age they become pink, sometimes with a brown edge, the trama is inverse. The stalk is central or slightly eccentric, cylindrical or slightly swollen at the base, fleshy, hollow or hollow, fibrous, sometimes with scales, without a ring or volva. Spore powder is pink. The spores are smooth, ovoid to ellipsoidal, pink, non-amyloid. The hyphal system is monomitic. The hyphae are slightly swollen, with or without buckles, on the surface of the cap giving rise to a filamentous, fibrous or trichodermal cuticle (in the latter case with or without swollen apical cells). Cheilo- and pleurocystids are cylindrical, bottle-shaped, often swollen, ending at the top with hook-shaped or serrated shoots; thin-walled or thick-walled. The basidia are elongated club-shaped, with a well-defined central constriction, usually 4-spored.

They are found on stumps and other woody remains of various tree species.

Pluteus dark extreme

The cap is 3-8 (12) cm in diameter, initially bell-shaped, then convexly spread, with a smoothed tubercle, often with a torn edge, from gray-brown to black-brown, smooth, fibrous, dry, finely scaly in the center. The plates are loose, frequent, dirty pink with a brown edge. Leg 4-8 (12) x 0.5-1 (2) cm, cylindrical, slightly thickened at the base, smooth, white, fawn, with dark brown longitudinal fibrous along the entire length, more intense at the base. The pulp is off-white, with a slightly sweet taste and pleasant smell. Spore powder is meat-pink.

The dark-edged plover grows on stumps and woody remains, mainly spruce (Picea A. Dietr.), and is found in July - August. Edible.

Pluteus reddish-brown

The cap is 3-12 (15) cm in diameter, initially broadly bell-shaped, then convex or flat-spread, with a smoothed tubercle, with a flat edge, from light gray-brown to dark brown, thin-fleshy, smooth, shiny, smooth fibrous, sometimes slightly rough in the center, oily in wet weather. The plates are free, frequent, wide, with plates, initially white, then intensely pink. Leg 3-12 (15) x 0.5-2 cm, cylindrical or thickened at the bottom, white, with dark longitudinal fibers, smooth, dense. The pulp is white, upon auto-oxidation it becomes creamy, without much taste, with a faint rare odor. Spore powder is light pink. Spores are 5-7.5 (8) x 4-5.5 (6) microns, broadly ellipsoidal, smooth, pinkish. Hyphae without buckles, thin-walled, caps slightly swollen in the cuticle, ending in cylindrical or slightly club-shaped cells with brownish pigment, 6-15 µm in width; in the cuticle, the legs are made of cylindrical or slightly swollen cells with brown (sometimes absent) pigment. Cheilocystids are bottle-shaped, thin-walled, 30-70 x 10-25 µm. Pleurocystids are fusiform, thick-walled, with 2-6 uncinate processes at the apex, 50-90 (120) x 1020 µm.

The reddish-brown plover grows on wood of various species and is found in June - October. Edible.

Pluteus lion-yellow

The cap is 2-8 cm in diameter, convex, convex-spread with age, with a blunt tubercle, jagged ribbed-striped edge, egg yellow, golden yellow, finely scaly in the center, then velvety to bare towards the edge. The plates are free, frequent, with plates, yellowish or pinkish. Leg 4-7 x 0.5-1 cm, central or eccentric, cylindrical or slightly thickened downwards, brownish at the base, glabrous. The pulp is whitish-yellowish, lemon-yellow under the cuticle, dense, without much taste or smell. Spore powder is light pink. Spores are 6-7 x 5-6 microns, ellipsoidal, smooth, pinkish. Hyphae without buckles, thin-walled, in the cuticle of the cap they consist of swollen or spindle-shaped cells with yellow pigment, 10-20 µm wide; in the cuticle, the legs are made of long cylindrical colorless cells 5-7 µm wide. Cheilocystids are bottle-shaped, thin-walled, 60-100 x 20-30 µm. Pleurocystids are very variable in shape, fusiform, club-shaped, with or without an apical appendage, may have hook-shaped appendages at the apex, 30-70 x 1025 µm, thin-walled.

Lion-yellow plover grows on stumps and other woody remains of various tree species and is found in July - September. Edible.

Pluteus veined

The cap is 2.5-4 (6) cm in diameter, initially convex, then flat-prostrate with a smoothed tubercle, yellowish-brownish, thinly fleshy, strongly radially wrinkled in the center, matte. The plates are loose, frequent, whitish, yellowish, and grayish-pinkish with age. Leg 2-7 x 0.2-0.5 (1) cm, cylindrical, grayish-yellowish or off-white, fibrous, with whitish pubescence at the base, smooth, dense. The pulp is yellowish, thin, with a mild taste, without much odor. Spore powder is light pink. Spores are 6-9 x 5-7 microns, from round to broadly ellipsoidal, smooth, pinkish. Hyphae with buckles, thin-walled, in the cuticle of the cap consist of round or pear-shaped cells with brownish pigment 30-55 x 15-35 microns. Cheilocystids are few in number, fusiform, club-shaped, thick-walled, 45-70 x 15-25 µm. Pleurocystids are rare, variable in shape, fusiform, club-shaped, 60-100 x 15-25 µm, thick-walled.

The veined plover grows in forests, on wood buried in the soil and other woody debris, and is found in June - July. Edible.

Pluteus dottopod

The cap is 3-6 cm in diameter, initially hemispherical, then convex or flat-spread with a tubercle, with a blunt wavy, relatively thick edge, amber, sandy-brown or brownish in color, finely scaly, wrinkled, velvety, fibrous along the edge. The plates are free, frequent, with plates, initially white, then light pink. Leg 2-6 x 0.51 cm, cylindrical with a slightly widening base, whitish, with nut-brown pinpoint scaliness, velvety. The pulp is whitish in the cap, brownish in the stem (the color does not change during auto-oxidation), initially soft, then loosely fibrous, without much taste and with a pungent, unpleasant odor. Spores are 6.5-9 x 6-7 µm, broadly ellipsoidal, smooth, pinkish. The hyphae are without buckles, thin-walled, in the cap cuticle they consist of colorless cylindrical or club-shaped cells 45-15 x 10-25 µm. Cheilocystids are club-shaped to bottle-shaped, thin-walled 28-70 x 12-40 µm. Pleurocystids are fusiform, with a tooth at the apex, 60-120 x 15-35 µm, thin-walled.

The point-legged plover grows on stumps, branches, and rotten wood of spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst) and is found in July - August. Edible.

Pluteus willow

The cap is 2-5 (7) cm in diameter, initially hemispherical, bell-shaped, then convex, convex-prostrate, flat-prostrate, with a smoothed tubercle, grayish with a bluish or pinkish tint, darker in the center, hygrophanic, fibrous-wrinkled, in the center sometimes finely scaly. The plates are free, frequent, with plates, initially whitish-cream, then pink. Leg 0.2-10 x 0.2-0.7 cm, cylindrical, smooth, less often slightly curved, widened at the base, whitish-bluish, often with a grayish-olive tint, fibrous, shiny. The pulp is grayish-whitish, does not change during auto-oxidation or turns greenish, with a sour taste and a faint anise smell. Spores 6.5-9 (10) x 4.5-6.5 µm, broadly ellipsoidal, ellipsoidal, smooth, pinkish. Hyphae with buckles, thin-walled, in the cap cuticle consist of colorless cylindrical or spindle-shaped cells, 10-20 µm wide. Cheilocystids are club-shaped or pear-shaped, 30-50 x 15-20 µm, thin-walled. Pleurocystids are fusiform, 60-90 x 15-20 µm, with an apical appendage and 2-5 uncinate processes, thick-walled.

Willow sparrow grows near the roots (Alnus Mill.), and on rotten forest deadfall, and is found in July - September. Edible.

Pluteus dark brown

The cap is 3-7 (10) cm in diameter, initially convex, then convexly spread, with a smoothed tubercle, with a fringed edge, whitish with a radially striped or felt mesh dark brown pattern, finely scaly. The plates are loose, frequent, pink with a brown edge. Leg 3-7 (10) x 0.5-1 cm, cylindrical, white with dark longitudinal fibers, smooth. The pulp is whitish, with a bitter taste and a rare smell. Spores are 5-7.5 x 5-6 µm, broadly ellipsoidal, smooth, pinkish. Hyphae without buckles, thin-walled, in the cap cuticle consist of cylindrical or spindle-shaped cells 2040 µm wide, with brown pigment; in the stalk, the cells are cylindrical or spindle-shaped, 5-10 µm wide. Cheilocystids are club-shaped, fusiform, sac-shaped, 40-100 x 10-25 µm, thin-walled. Pleurocystids are not common, variable in shape, 50-80 x 15-25 µm, thin-walled, sometimes containing pigment.

Dark brown plover grows near the roots of trees, on dry stumps, rotten deciduous wood, and is found in August - September. Edible.

Pluteus false Roberta

It is necessary to be able to distinguish false Roberta, since this mushroom cannot be eaten. The cap is 2.5-5 cm in diameter, initially hemispherical, then convexly spread with a smooth edge, whitish, with numerous brownish-grayish scales in the center, smooth, finely fibrous. The plates are free, frequent, wide, with plates, initially white, then with a pink edge. The stalk is 2-5 x 0.3-0.6 cm, cylindrical, somewhat thickens towards the base, thin, curved, white, smooth, shiny. The pulp is whitish in the cap (the color does not change during auto-oxidation), without any special taste or smell. Spores are 5-7 x 4.4-5.5 microns, from broadly ellipsoidal to almost round, smooth, pinkish. Hyphae with buckles, thin-walled, in the cuticle the caps and legs consist of colorless cylindrical cells 5-10 µm wide. Cheilocystids are club-shaped, thin-walled, 40-70 x 10-15 µm. Pleurocystids are fusiform, with a tooth at the apex, 45-85 x 1015 µm, thick-walled.

Grows on stumps, trunks, rotten deciduous wood, and is found in August - September. Inedible.

Pluteus orange

The cap is 2-5 cm in diameter, initially broadly bell-shaped, then convex or flat-spread, with a slightly protruding tubercle, with a thinly ribbed edge, bright orange-red, fading to yellow-brown, with rounded indentations, thin, very delicate, smooth -fibrous, wrinkled-veined in the center. The plates are free, frequent, wide, strong, light pink. Leg 3-8 x 0.3-0.9 cm, curved, yellowish, naked, whitish at the base, completed. The pulp is whitish, watery, without much taste or smell. The spore powder is pinkish-orange. Spores are 5-7.5 x 4-5.5 (6.0) µm, broadly ellipsoidal, smooth, pinkish. Hyphae without buckles, thin-walled, in the cuticle of the cap consist of swollen or oval cells 10-20 μm in diameter with orange-reddish contents; in the cuticle, the legs are made of cylindrical, almost colorless cells, only some of them contain orange-reddish droplets, 5-8 microns in diameter. Cheilocystids are few in number, bottle-shaped, thin-walled, 30-65 x 12-30 µm. Pleurocystids are fusiform, bottle-shaped, vesicular, thin-walled, etc., usually without processes at the apex, 35-70 x 15-35 µm.

Orange plover grows on rotten wood of broad-leaved trees and is found in August - September. Inedible.

Pluteus fissured

The cap is 3.5-4 (6) cm in diameter, initially hemispherical, then convex-prostrate, with a tubercle in the center, brownish, dark brown, with a darker center, matte, fibrous, dry, radially wrinkled, fissured. The plates are free, frequent, wide, creamy pink. Leg 3.5-5 x 0.3-0.7 cm, cylindrical, widened at the bottom, white, brownish at the base, glabrous. The pulp is whitish, fibrous, with a bland taste and a faint mushroom odor. Spores are 7.5-10.5 x 5-7 microns, broadly ellipsoidal to ovoid, smooth, pinkish. Hyphae with buckles, thin-walled, in the cuticle of the cap consist of elongated cells 30-80 x 8-32 microns. Cheilocystids of various shapes, from cylindrical, finger-shaped to bottle-shaped, 30-60 x 10-20 microns, thin-walled, uncolored.

The fissured plover grows on stumps, trunks, and rotten deciduous wood and is found in August–September. Inedible.

Pluteus Romelly

The cap is 1.5-4 (5) cm in diameter, initially hemispherical, then convex-prostrate, prostrate, with a striped edge, from yellow-brownish to dark brown, radial-venous, glabrous, smooth, matte. The plates are free, frequent, wide, initially yellowish, then creamy-pinkish. Leg 2-4 (8) x 0.2-0.5 cm, central or eccentric, cylindrical, yellowish to chrome-yellow, smooth, silky, shiny. The flesh in the cap is whitish, in the stem it is yellowish, with a mild taste, without much odor. Spores 5-7.5 (8) x 4.5-6 µm, broadly ellipsoidal, smooth, pinkish. Hyphae with buckles, thin-walled, in the cuticle of the cap they consist of rounded cells with an elongated base, 3060 x 20-40 µm. Cheilocystids of various shapes: club-shaped, cylindrical, bottle-shaped, 35-80 x 10-40 microns, thin-walled, uncolored. Pleurocystids are not numerous, broadly club-shaped, sac-shaped, 45-100 x 15-40 µm, thin-walled.

Plutea Romelli grows on stumps and other woody remains of various tree species and is found in July - September. Inedible.

Pluteus sad

The cap is 2 (5) cm in diameter, initially bell-shaped, then convex or convex-prostrate, often with an indistinct tubercle, brownish-brown, fine-grained, smooth. The plates are loose, frequent, dense, pink with a brown edge. Leg 3-11 x 0.2-0.3 cm, cylindrical, white with dark longitudinal delicate fibers, smooth. The pulp is white, filmy, without much taste or smell. Spore powder is light pink. Spores are 6-8 x 5-7 microns, from round to broadly ellipsoidal, smooth, pinkish. Hyphae with buckles, thin-walled, caps slightly swollen in the cuticle, ending in broadly club-shaped or lemon-shaped cells with brownish-brown pigment, 20-60 x 30-50 µm wide; in the cuticle, the legs are made of cylindrical cells with yellow pigment or colorless. Cheilocystids are predominantly sac-shaped, 30-75 x 10-20 µm. Pleurocystids are rare, variable in shape: from bottle-shaped to club-shaped, 55-95 x 10-25 µm, with or without an apical appendage.

The sad plute grows in deciduous forests, on wood buried in the soil, and is found in July - August. Inedible.

Pluteus small dwarf

The cap is 2-5 cm in diameter, initially bell-shaped, then convex or convex-spread, often with an unclear tubercle, with a thin, almost transparent edge, brownish, brownish-brown, to almost black, with a sooty-powdery dusty coating, radially wrinkled . The plates are free, frequent, boat-shaped, pink. Leg 3-6 x 0.2-0.6 cm, cylindrical, white or slightly yellowish. The pulp is whitish, thin, with a mild taste, without much odor. Spore powder is light pink. Spores are 6-7 x 5-6 microns, from round to broadly ellipsoidal, smooth, pinkish. Hyphae with buckles, thin-walled, in the cuticle of the cap consist of round or pear-shaped cells with brown pigment 30-60 x 15-45 microns in width; in the cuticle, the legs are made of long cylindrical colorless cells 5-20 µm wide. Cheilocystids are club-shaped, sac-shaped, thin-walled, 35-70 x 10-25 µm. Pleurocystids are rare, variable in shape, fusiform, club-shaped, 50-100 x 1035 µm, thin-walled.

The small dwarf plute grows in deciduous forests, on wood buried in the soil and other woody debris, and is found in June - November. Inedible.

Pluteus golden-colored

The cap is 1.5-5 cm in diameter, convexly spread, often with a tubercle, with a striped edge, yellowish-olive, yellowish-ocher, brownish, radially wrinkled in the center, smooth. The plates are loose, frequent, dense, pink. Leg 2.5-6 x 0.2-0.5 cm, cylindrical or thickened downward, white or light yellowish with dark longitudinal fibers, smooth, dense, with whitish pubescence at the base. The pulp is white, without any special taste or smell. Spore powder is light pink. Spores are 6-7 x 5-6 microns, from round to broadly ellipsoidal, smooth, pinkish. Hyphae with buckles, thin-walled, caps slightly swollen in the cuticle, ending in club-shaped or lemon-shaped cells with yellow pigment, 25-40 x 15-30 microns in width; in the cuticle, the legs are made of cylindrical cells with yellow pigment. Cheilocystids bottle-shaped to club-shaped, 25-60 x 10-17 µm. Pleurocystids are bottle-shaped to club-shaped, 35-75 x 12-25 µm, thin-walled, with or without an apical appendage, sometimes slightly colored.

The golden-colored plume grows on stumps and other woody remains of various tree species and is found in July - October. Inedible.

Pluteus short-haired

The cap is 1-2 cm in diameter, convex, grayish, densely covered with grayish-silver pressed fibers or scales. The plates are free, frequent, with plates, pink. Leg 1.5-3.5 x 0.1-0.3 cm, thickened downward, silvery-white, smooth, fibrous, glabrous at the base. The pulp is whitish, without any special taste or smell. Spore powder is light pink. Spores are 5-7 x 4.5-6 microns, ellipsoidal, smooth, pinkish. Hyphae without buckles, thin-walled, in the cap cuticle consist of cylindrical or slightly club-shaped cells with brown pigment, 10-20 µm wide; in the cuticle, the legs are made of long cylindrical colorless cells 5-10 µm wide. Cheilocystids vary in shape - from cylindrical and club-shaped to sac-shaped with or without an apical appendage, thin-walled, 30-60 x 10-15 µm. Pleurocystids are absent or very few in number, fusiform, 30-40 x 10-15 µm, thin-walled.

The short-haired plover grows on stumps and other remains of broad-leaved trees and is found in July - August. Inedible.

Pluteus clubfoot

The cap is 2.5-3 cm in diameter, initially convex, then spread, with a striped-ribbed edge, whitish, yellowish-pinkish, pale yellow-ochre, paler towards the edge, semi-membranous, thin, sometimes translucent, smooth, longitudinally striped, slightly wrinkled. The plates are loose, frequent, with plates, swollen and widened in the middle, pink. The stalk is 2.53 x 0.3-0.5 cm, cylindrical or slightly thickening downward, sometimes curved, whitish or yellowish, smooth, longitudinally fibrous, formed, hollow with age. The pulp is whitish, loose, without much taste or smell. Spores are 6-8 x 5-7 microns, broadly ellipsoidal, smooth, pinkish. Hyphae with buckles, thin-walled, in the cuticle of the cap they consist of round or broadly club-shaped cells, 25-30 microns. Cheilocystids of various shapes: club-shaped, cylindrical, bottle-shaped, 40-110 x 10-15 microns, thin-walled. Pleurocystids are bottle-shaped, 60-75 x 25-30 µm, thin-walled.

The clubfoot plover grows near the roots of trees, on dry stumps, rotten wood of various species, and is found in August - September. Inedible.

Pluteus is an edible mushroom belonging to the genus Plutea. The deer mushroom is also called the dark fibrous pluteum, the brown pluteum and the deer mushroom.

The Latin name of the mushroom is Pluteus cervinus.

It is widely believed that these mushrooms got their name because deer eat them with pleasure, and also that this is due to the brown color of the cap. But, in fact, the name is due to the fact that the large cells of the hymenial layer of the fungus end in teeth, like horns.

The diameter of the deer mushroom cap ranges from 4 to 10 centimeters, but in large mushrooms the diameter can reach 15 and even 24 centimeters. The shape of the cap is broadly bell-shaped, and as it matures it becomes flat-prostrate with a noticeable tubercle in the center. Its surface is silky, smooth, but with age it becomes radially cracked. Most often the cap is dry, but in humid weather it becomes slightly mucous.

The color of the cap is usually gray-brown or gray, but can reach dark brown and even black. In the central part of the cap the color is darker, along the edge the cap is striped. In dry weather the colors fade.

The pulp is brittle, white, hard, fibrous in the stem, without any special taste or smell, or has a faint radish odor; when cut, the color of the pulp remains unchanged. The width of the plates is 10-15 millimeters, they are located often, and they are rounded at the edge of the cap. When the spores mature, they give the plates a pink color, and in older specimens they become flesh-red.

The length of the leg of Plutaeus deer is 5-15 centimeters, and the diameter is approximately 2 centimeters. The leg is cylindrical, solid, dense, white or gray-white. The stem is covered with gray longitudinal fibers, which become lighter towards the cap. Often the leg is slightly swollen, club-shaped at the base, and can bend greatly. It can be easily separated from the cap.

Spore powder is pink, the shape of the spores is ellipsoidal, the color is pinkish. Cystids have thick walls with appendages in the form of “horns”.

Places where deer mushrooms grow

The deer sparrow is a saprophytic mushroom. These mushrooms are widespread in the temperate northern zone. They grow in deciduous forests, and are less common in coniferous forests, gardens, and parks. Deer pluteas settle on decaying wood of various types, on stumps, rotting branches, dead wood, and on piles of bark. In more rare cases, they can grow on the soil, next to stumps. They grow abundantly on wood chips and sawdust. Deer mushrooms are most often found in cleared areas.

Pluteas grow singly or in small groups. In our country they can be found from late summer to late October. These mushrooms are most abundant in the European part of Russia. Peak fruiting occurs from July to the end of August. Even in dry years, these mushrooms are quite abundant.

Similar species

There are over 140 species in the genus of spittle, and they are clearly distinguishable from each other, so the deer spittle can be confused with many of its fellows:
Pousar's pluteus differs in that there are buckles on the hyphae, but they can only be seen under a microscope. These mushrooms grow on soft wood. Pousar's spittle does not have a distinct smell;
Pluteus black-edged is a rare species. You can recognize it by its blackish cap with plates with dark edges. Black-edged pluteas grow on half-rotten coniferous trees;
Collibia broadleaf is a conditionally edible or inedible mushroom. It has sparse cream or whitish plates and a characteristic weight at the base of the stalk;
Deer stags can also be confused with members of the genus Volvariella, but the latter are distinguished by the presence of a volva;
Representatives of the genus Entoloma differ from plutei by having attached rather than free plates. In addition, they do not grow on trees, but on soil.

Eating reindeer mushrooms

Plutei deer belong to the conditionally edible mushrooms; according to their taste, they are assigned the 4th category. Some sources position these pluteas as inedible mushrooms.

The nutritional quality of these mushrooms is quite mediocre. Their pulp is watery with an indefinite taste, and the smell is rather unpleasant, and it does not disappear even after boiling.

Useful properties of deer mushroom

The beneficial properties of cervid plutea have been known since ancient times. These mushrooms contain a large amount of vitamins B, C and D, due to which they are considered an equivalent analogue of beef liver and certain cereals.

Another great advantage of these mushrooms is their low calorie content. Due to the fact that they contain a large amount of protein, they are popular among vegetarians. A significant advantage is that deer plumes contain a large amount of lecithin, which prevents the accumulation of cholesterol in the body.

The benefit of deer mushroom, like other mushrooms, is that it contains unique enzymes that improve the functioning of many vital organisms. Antibiotics, various medicines and tinctures are obtained from deer plutea.

The substances in these mushrooms promote the breakdown of fats, help the body get rid of excess weight and have a beneficial effect on the digestion process. Extracts from deer mushrooms are even used in oncology.

Use of cervids in cooking

Although reindeer mushrooms are not very popular, their sweetish taste is quite pleasant, it is in many ways similar to the taste of potatoes. During cooking and frying, the tender pulp is perfectly preserved. In certain traditions of the northern peoples, reindeer mushrooms are consumed raw, but they are also boiled, fried and dried.

Similarity of the deer mushroom with its poisonous counterparts

These mushrooms have a bright appearance, so they cannot be confused with toadstools. In addition, they do not have poisonous counterparts. The only danger is that deer plumes can accumulate harmful substances and various toxins. Therefore, it is recommended to collect mushrooms in places remote from city limits and roads. It is best to put the collected mushrooms in salt water and soak them for some time.

Deer plute also has such names as brown plute, dark fibrous plute, deer mushroom. From May to October it can be found in deciduous forests (especially where there is birch or oak) growing on fallen rotting wood, dead wood or stumps. Found quite often in small groups.

The hat, with a diameter of 5 to 12-15 cm, is first bell-shaped, then convex-spread. In this case, it can be either tubercular or without a tubercle. The edges are slightly ribbed. The surface is radially fibrous, smooth, the core may have scales and is always darker. Color varies from gray-brown, chestnut-brown to dark brown-brown. In dry weather, the surface becomes light, fades, and the edges crack.

The plates are frequent, wide, and freely spaced. Juveniles are white, later with a pinkish tint.

The cylindrical leg has a length of 6-9 cm and a diameter of 0.9-1.5 cm. The base of the leg is slightly widened. The surface is longitudinally fibrous, continuous, dense, whitish-grayish in color with longitudinal brown fibers.

The pulp is soft, thin, white, tasteless, and has a barely noticeable unpleasant woody odor (in some cases it is completely absent). When cut, the color of the pulp does not change.

Only the caps are used for eating. Pre-boiling for 10-15 minutes is required. Can be pickled and salted. Due to its low taste and specific smell (which does not disappear even after cooking), it is rarely used when preparing mushroom dishes.

It is similar to the edible udemanciella broadplate, from which it differs in pinkish plates and smell.

Photos of Pluteus cervinus

The world of mushrooms is truly fascinating and unique. These organisms are unique in themselves and can surprise you with their shapes, complex life cycles, and taste.

In the forests you can sometimes find an unusual mushroom that looks like coral. People call it “deer horns”. Let's talk more about these mushrooms.

The correct botanical name is Ramaria flava. From Latin it is translated as Ramaria yellow. Belongs to the department Basidiomycetes, class Agaricomycetes, order Gomphaceae, family Rogataceae.

The habitat of this mushroom is the mixed, deciduous and coniferous forests of the Caucasus, the North-West of our country, as well as the forests of Central Europe.

People call deer antlers so because in shape they really resemble the branched antlers of a male deer. To many it resembles coral.

Sometimes in mushroom picker reference books you can find the following names:

The above-ground part of the ramaria grows approximately 15-20 cm in height. The fruiting body grows diametrically and reaches 20 cm in diameter. In the middle there is a dense hyphal plexus that forms a common stalk, and branched processes “horns” emerge from it. These “branches” are cylindrical in shape and branch dichotomously at their apex.

The color of the aboveground part of the fruiting body is yellow, and the palette of yellow can have different shades. This depends on the substrate on which the ramaria grows, as well as the intensity of sunlight in the undergrowth.

Closer to the bases of the horns, the color can be rich yellow. If you press on the fruiting body, a brownish color appears at the place of compression. When cut, the flesh is marble yellow. The smell is quite pleasant, reminiscent of the smell of freshly cut grass.

Ramaria has a low food grade. On the botanical scale of food categories - fourth. There is no particular pronounced mushroom taste. If the fruiting bodies are collected old, the tops must be removed, as they accumulate substances that give a certain bitterness.

Collection rules and precautions

Many horned mushrooms are poisonous. In this regard, you need to know yellow ramaria and be able to distinguish it from other “forest corals”. Collection and preparation are carried out in August and September. At this time, deer antlers can be found in the undergrowth as single fruits or small groups of 3-4 “bushes”.

Rules for collecting horned animals:

Important advice! If you are a novice mushroom picker, it is not recommended to collect horned mushrooms. Whether the horned mushroom is edible or not is difficult to determine. Some of them are so similar to each other that they can only be distinguished under a microscope. There is only one thing that is reassuring: among these mushrooms there are no highly poisonous ones that lead to death.

How to properly cook mushrooms

The soup made from “reindeer horns” is especially tasty. To prepare it you will need the standard ingredients of mushroom soup - a clove of garlic, onions, herbs, carrots, potatoes, butter, salt, pepper and 300-400 g of this wonderful mushroom.

Boil the mushrooms separately in salted water for 20 minutes. This broth must be drained and not used. It may contain toxins. You can boil it twice for 10 minutes. It will be even better that way.

Then the soup is cooked in the standard way. Throw onions, potatoes, garlic, carrots into cold water, bring to a boil, add mushrooms. Cook for 10 minutes over low heat and add salt, pepper and herbs. This makes a very tasty light mushroom soup. Children will especially like it, since the mushrooms in the soup are unusual.

Ramaria can be salted, fried with potatoes, or added to salads. The main condition for cooking is to always simmer the mushrooms over low heat for 10-15 minutes in salted water. This helps get rid of toxins. This is especially important, because among the horned ones there are many moderately poisonous species. Primary thermal treatment allows you to destroy and reduce the concentration of toxic substances to a minimum.

Young deer antlers can be dried. Overripe fruiting bodies can rot when dried, but young ones dry out easily. To do this, they need to be divided into the maximum possible number of “branches” with part of the stem. A thread is threaded through the leg. Next, the mushroom garlands are hung in the shade in a dry and ventilated room.

When preparing dishes from dried ramaria, it must be soaked in water for 12 hours, and then rinsed thoroughly and boiled for 10 minutes.

Collect deer horns, prepare culinary masterpieces from them, but be careful and careful!

Look what the plute looks like in the photo:

In the photo Pluteus is white

More recently, research by biologists has shown that some subspecies have a small dose of a glucinogenic component. Therefore, the use of such mushrooms for cooking is highly doubtful.

There are several subspecies:

• deer;
• white;
• scaly;
• noble;
• willow.

The mushroom can be used as food. Another name is clustered lashes. You can meet it in Europe, Japan, China, Primorye and Siberia. Some specimens were also found in the states of the northern part of the African continent.

Main external characteristics:

1. The lower part is up to 12 cm long, its thickness is within 1-2 cm. It is filled with pulp with fibers, white. The leg is smooth and dense. Volva and ring are not identified.
2. The upper part is up to 12 cm in diameter, brittle, thin-fleshy. On a young mushroom, the cap resembles half a sphere, then opens up and forms a low, blunt tubercle. It has fibers, silky, white, sometimes with scales closer to the center.
3. The plates are tall, loose, white or slightly pinkish. But this shade appears in old mushrooms. The young have white plates.
4. The pulp is white, soft. When cut, it does not change color and has no pronounced odor. Near the cap its color becomes close to yellow.

The mushroom itself does not have a distinct smell or taste.

Grows in gardens, forest plantations and vegetable gardens. Appears from May to November. On wood debris, on the lawn in places where there was mulching with sawdust, it often grows in mulched beds.

There are no poisonous mushrooms similar to spittle without a ring and without a volva. But some mushroom pickers talk about similarities with a subspecies from the same Plyuteev family - orange-powered.

Requires cooking for 15 minutes, which makes the mushroom suitable for further use. White plutei can be used in main courses and for pickling.

Not used in medical practice.

In the photo is the Deer Plute

The mushroom is edible. The deer spittle mushroom got its name due to the love of deer for this subspecies. It is these animals that greedily eat them. Like all Pluteaceae, they love places with putrid woody soil. They can even be found in vegetable gardens if prior work has been done to fertilize the soil with sawdust.

Subspecies from the same family are considered similar mushrooms to Plutaeus deer:

• brown;
• fibrous dark.

It grows one or several pieces on stumps, on the trunks of fallen trees, but you can collect a lot of it.

Look at the deer spittle in the photo. Description of its main external features:

1. The plates are located freely from each other, tall, at first whitish, then pink.
2. Part up to 12 cm, brittle, thinly fleshy. At first it is bell-shaped, then open, with a low blunt tubercle, silky, fibrous, gray or gray-brown.
3. The pulp is white, soft, does not change color when cut, with a faint odor. Spore powder is pink.
4. The leg is up to 12 cm long, up to 2 cm thick, filled with pulp with fibers, grayish, sometimes with dark streaks. The ring and Volva are not detected.

Fruits from May to November.

This mushroom has beneficial properties, rich in vitamins and minerals. In terms of the content of substances, deer spittle is compared with beef liver and some cereals.

There are no poisonous mushrooms similar to spittle.

After boiling for 5-15 minutes, the rare smell of the pulp disappears, and the mushroom is suitable for further culinary processing. It is salted and pickled. It is better to use deer spittle in a mixture with other mushrooms.

Look at the deer spittle in the photo:

These mushrooms are not harmful. Their bright appearance makes it impossible to confuse this species with other inedible ones. The mushroom has no inedible analogues.

Lion-yellow Pluteus

The mushroom is not used in cooking. The caps are up to 6 cm, brittle, the flesh is tender, initially circular, then open, forming a low tubercle. They are velvety fibrous, beautiful yellow in color, sometimes with a brownish center. The lamellar part is free, first whitish, then pink.

Lion-yellow pluteus in the photo
The Lion-yellow Pluteus is found from June to October

The lower part is up to 8 cm in size, the thickness reaches 6 mm in some cases, the flesh is fibrous with a gray tint, sometimes with dark longitudinal strokes. The ring and Volva are not detected. The pulp is white, soft, and does not change color when exposed to air. The spore powder has a slightly pink tint.

Grows on stumps of deciduous and mixed trees, on lying trunks, on fallen branches. Grows in damp places among mosses.

Similar to the inedible golden plume (Pluteus luteovirens), which is distinguished by a lemon-yellow and slightly wrinkled upper part of the cap.

Pluteus noble and scaly

Considered inedible. You can find it in the forests from July to October. Pluteus nobilis has a white cap. Sometimes it may turn a little yellow or gray. Its edges are smooth, looking down. The leg is light, some specimens may have a brown coating.