Rare 'Bleeding Tooth' Mushrooms Found in Perm Region
This mushroom with red droplets is called Hydnellum peckii
The Directorate of Specially Protected Natural Areas (OOPT) of Perm Krai has published photographs of unusual mushrooms that look like toys. They were found in the forest by a resident of Solikamsk. We show what these mushrooms look like and explain what makes them special.
In its VKontakte group, the OOPT Directorate posted a photo of a mushroom with a white cap covered in translucent red «beads,» and a photo of mushrooms with flat bluish caps, as if dusted with cinnamon. These shots were taken by a Solikamsk resident during a walk in the forest.
«I came across these mushrooms last Sunday not far from the village of Zhulanovo, near the Talitsa River,» Elena Nikolaeva, the author of the photos, told 59.RU. «There were more of them than in the photo. I just realized too late that I should have taken wide shots and video.»
The OOPT Directorate explained that the mushrooms with red «beads» are Hydnellum peckii. People call them «bleeding tooth,» «devil»s tooth,« or »strawberries and cream.« The directorate says the red droplets are a liquid called atromentin. Scientists are testing its ability to affect blood clotting. It oozes from the mushroom»s pores and eventually dries out, darkening to a brown color, and the mushroom turns brown. Hydnellum is not dangerous to humans, but it cannot be eaten because it is bitter.
Elena also found Hydnellum caeruleum, the blue hydnellum. Under the caps of these mushrooms there are young spines of a soft blue shade; over time they fade to gray.
«This species is listed in the Red Books of many European countries, and encountering it is a great stroke of luck,» the directorate says. «In Russia it is also extremely rare, preferring untouched northern forests. Like its blood-red relative, the bluish hydnellum is inedible. These mushrooms form mycorrhiza with the roots of coniferous trees, helping them obtain water and nutrients.»
Earlier we told you which types of mushrooms appear in August. Nikita Faustov, an assistant at the «Chemistry and Biotechnology» department at Perm Polytechnic, explained how to identify them.
