Golden scales (Pholiota aurivella) are noticeable mushrooms that are visible from afar thanks to the golden-yellow color of the hats. They grow in groups on live and fallen trees. The exact identification of the species is difficult, and the edibility is disputed, so eat golden scales with caution. Daredevils cook and eat this type of mushrooms, declare that the taste is excellent, reminds the white mushroom. Other people with weak stomachs complain of rubber and pain, digestive disorders after drinking golden scales even with careful cooking.
Etymology of the name of the mushroom
The generic name in Latin Pholiota means “scaly”, and the definition of Aurivella translates as “golden rune”.
When harvested
The beginning of the season of the appearance of fruit bodies is April and only in December the growth season ends, depends on the region of growth. In Eurasia and Europe, the mushroom is collected from July to the end of November. The average mushroom height is 5-20 cm, the average hat width is 3-15 cm.
Description of the scales of golden
The hat is always brilliant, sticky or mucous, golden-wise, orange or rust color, covered with darker triangular scales. Diameter from 5 to 15 cm. The shape of the hat is a convex bell. Its surface is covered with wine-red scales, which are sometimes washed off in raw weather, which complicates the identification process.
The gills in young specimens are pale yellow, then, as the dispute develops pale brown and in overripe mushrooms with rusty brown. The gills are numerous and attached to the leg, often winding in the place of accession to the stem.
Cream-yellow veil, cotton texture, soon disappears, leaving a weak ring area on the leg.
The color of the legs from yellow to orange-yellow. From 6 to 12 mm in diameter and from 3 to 9 cm in height. It is covered with thin scales from the base to the weak ring zone. Smooth over the pale coarse ring (steady fragment of a partial curtain). The texture of the legs is dense, fiber flesh, yellowish.
There is no membrane skirt, in younger specimens on the leg there is a weak ring zone. Flesh hard, pale yellow. Bright yellow or rusty spots occur at the base of the leg. Brown spores, ellipsoid.
The taste and smell is soft, mushroom and even slightly sweet, the mushroom does not emit bitterness in the mouth.
Where to find a golden scales
This kind of saprobal mushrooms selects for growth in clusters the rotting wood of dead and still living plants, more often found on beeches. The type is endemic for:
Possible confusion with doubles and similar mushrooms
Beginners in a mushroom hobby are sometimes taken from a distance of a similar opening house in the autumn (Armillaria mellea) for a golden scales, but they have different hats, legs and scales do not have a skirt.
Ordinary scales (Pholiota Squarrosa) from golden distinguishes a dry (not mucous) hat covered with rough and raised, and not flattened scales. This species is toxic, especially if alcohol is consumed along with the mushroom.
The scales are ordinary
Seblable scales (Pholiota adiposa) has a very mucous hat, it does not have a ring zone.
Salm ishuychka
The scales of the wax (Pholiota cerfera) is less mucous than golden, it has a slightly membranous white skirt, darker scales at the base of the leg, prefers willow for the formation of the colony.
Lemon scales (Pholiota Limonella), she has a very mucous hat, scales are more densely located, in the youth of the gills of gray-olive, it grows on birches and alder.
