Pigs are mushrooms that are now known as inedible and even poisonous. They got the name, because they resemble a piglet in shape, and the people still have such names as “fetukha”, “solokha”, “dunk”. It is necessary to consider all varieties and features of mushrooms, so as not to accidentally put poisonous in the basket.
Description
Pigs in appearance are very similar to breast. They are small in size: the hat is fleshy, with a diameter of up to 20, and the leg is no more than 10 cm long. In young mushrooms, it is slightly convex, becomes funnel-shaped, with uneven edges with age.
Color can vary from brown to olive. Coloring may vary during the process of growing a fruiting body. Depending on the weather, the peel on the hat changes. In dry weather, it looks rough, and in the wet season it looks wet. The pulp is dense and elastic.
Where and when it grows
The easiest way to find this mushroom in coniferous and mixed stands. They appear under the branches of trees and in the meadow, less often found in swamps. The pig spreads due to spores and, like other mushrooms, often appears in families. They bear fruit for a long time, from mid-summer to October. Meet in groups and singly.
Did you know? The composition of the fat pig includes telephoric acid. A blue pigment is synthesized from it, which is used to dye tissues.
Edibility
In no case can pigs be eaten, except for one of the species - thick. The use of others can negatively affect health.
Besides the fat one, there is a thin pig. It is forbidden to eat in any form, even boiled. Studies have established that the fungus contains a special toxin - lectin. He is not killed by any treatment. Also in a thin pig there is a poisonous substance - muscarine, which in its consequences is similar to the poison of fly agaric.
Scientists have found that the antigen is in the pulp. It binds to the membranes of liver cells, as a result, the body is forced to fight with its own cells. Symptoms of poisoning do not appear immediately, but after the time it takes for the antigen to start affecting the liver.
Important! Pigs accumulate in themselves heavy metals and radioactive isotopes. Renal failure and nephropathy can be negative consequences.
Symptoms of poisoning appear more quickly in children and the elderly. It depends on the body's resistance to toxins.
Mushroom poisoning can be recognized based on the following symptoms:
- abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting;
- urination occurs less frequently and in small volumes;
- the skin becomes a yellowish tint;
- increased hemoglobin level;
- in especially severe cases - oligoanuria.
If someone has the above symptoms after eating sows, call an ambulance immediately. It is only allowed to give antiallergic drugs on their own to reduce the reaction of the body, but you should never treat the victim yourself.
Edible species
However, not all pigs are poisonous. Only thick ones are considered edible. There are differences between a thick and thin pig.
Thick can be identified by a large hat with turned edges. It may have a disproportionate form. The color of dry velvet peel is brown-olive. The flesh is yellowish, loose, watery. The leg is short, hollow, dark brown or black. Spore powder is buffy.
The mushroom is conditionally edible, but not appreciated due to unpleasant taste and lack of mushroom smell. Often it is used with other mushrooms for the preparation of pickles and marinades.
Important! Fat pig is a dietary product, its calorie content per 100 grams is — 30 kcal.
Poisonous species
Thin pig - is most often found in European countries and Russia in temperate climates. Young specimens are distinguished by a brown dark color, but in the process of aging they acquire a copper tint. A hat with a radius of up to 10 cm. The pulp is strong, but eventually begins to loosen. The leg is small, cylindrical, to the root decreases in volume. Disputes are associated in shape with an ellipse. You can find this species throughout the summer and early autumn.
Distinguish quite a lot of varieties of the sow family, but in Russia there are only a few.
Did you know? The first recorded case of fatal poisoning by pigs was the death of a German mycologist Julius Schaeffer.
These include:
- Alder - poisonous, lives in deciduous plantings and other places in Russia, Belarus, France and other countries. Mycelium binds to aspen and alder. The hat is yellow-brown, brown-red. It is covered with cracks in shape resembling a mild funnel. The pulp of the fungus becomes loose with age. The leg is low and thin, with a diameter of up to 1.5 cm, tapering closer to the cap. The alder harvest period is the end of June and the beginning of autumn.
- Pan-shaped, also known as ear-shaped, has a rigid fan-shaped hat and a small leg that twists with a hat. The flesh can be cream yellow to light brown in color with a persistent tarry odor. Representatives of this species can be found in Kazakhstan and Russia among conifers.
Pigs, not including fat ones, are poisonous mushrooms. In order to protect yourself and your loved ones from mushroom poisoning, it is important to collect only friends. Knowing the description of the species, it will not be difficult to distinguish among edible mushrooms.
