Hebeloma root (Hebeloma radicosum) ata ma faʻamatalaga

Hebeloma root (Hebeloma radicosum)

• Hebeloma rhizomatous

• Hypholoma rooted
• Hypholoma rooting
• Agaricus radicosus

Hebeloma root or root-shaped (O le t. Hebeloma radicosum) is a mushroom of the genus Hebeloma (Hebeloma) of the Strophariaceae family. Previously, the genus was assigned to the families Cobweb (Cortinariaceae) and Bolbitiaceae (Bolbitiaceae). Inedible due to low taste, sometimes considered a low-value conditionally edible mushroom, usable in limited quantities in combination with other mushrooms.

Hat Hebeloma Root:

Large, 8-15 cm in diameter; already in youth, it takes on a characteristic “semi-convex” shape, with which it does not part until old age. The color of the caps is gray-brown, lighter at the edges than in the center; the surface is covered with large, non-peeling scales of a darker color, which makes it look “pockmarked”. The flesh is thick and dense, whitish, with a bitter taste and smell of almonds.

Faamaumauga:

Frequent, loose or semi-adherent; color varies from light gray in youth to brown-clay in adulthood.

Spora pauta:

Yellowish brown.

Stalk of hebeloma root:

Height 10-20 cm, often curved, expanding near the soil surface. A characteristic feature is a long and relatively thin “root process”, because of which hebeloma root got its name. Color – light gray; the surface of the leg is densely covered with “pants” of flakes, which slide down with age.

Faʻasalalau:

It occurs from mid-August to early October in forests of various types, forming mycorrhiza with deciduous trees; often hebeloma root can be found in places with damaged topsoil – in grooves and pits, near rodent burrows. In successful years for itself, it can come across in very large groups, in unsuccessful years it can be completely absent.

Ituaiga tutusa:

The large size and characteristic “root” do not allow confusing Hebeloma radicosum with any other species.

Mea'ai:

Apparently inedible, although not poisonous. The bitter pulp and the inaccessibility of the “experimental material” do not allow us to draw any serious conclusions on this matter.