Corntails - mushrooms, the appearance of which is significantly different from what we are used to seeing. The coral-like body of this representative of the wildlife world is striking in its unusual beauty. He has neither legs nor hat. Vertically branched tubules are very difficult to associate with fungi, but horns, or ramaria, belong to this kingdom. By the way, the closest relative of the hornet is chanterelles. Despite their differing appearance, scientists believe that they had a common ancestor.
Corntail mushrooms come in several varieties. But the most common are reed, amethyst and yellow. These mushrooms grow in moist coniferous forests, on rotten fragments of trees, bark, or directly on moss, in lingonberry clearings. They appear in the main peak of quiet hunting - in August, early September. By the way, for their unusual appearance, horned mushrooms were nicknamed mushroom noodles. Data on the edibility of the mushroom vary. Russians often bypass ramaria, not considering it edible, but in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Germany they are cooked from themwonderful dishes or dried for the winter to be used as a seasoning for various soups and sauces. Moreover, Europeans, despite the fact that horned mushrooms are classified as edible mushrooms of the fourth category, are ready to eat young fruiting bodies for food and fresh. As for taste, ramaria, which has almost no aroma, is bitter.
The yellow horn mushroom grows 20 centimeters long. The fleshy tubular body, white at the base and yellow as it grows, branches out, first dividing into a pair of branches, which then branch out in the same way, and so on. In biology, this division is called dichotomous. When pressed, horned mushrooms, the flesh of which is fragile, watery, turn a little red. With age, the color of the tubular body changes to ocher and orange.
Another type of ramaria - amethyst horns - is found in deciduous forests, mainly in birch groves. The color of the branched body is very unusual - lilac or purple. This mushroom grows singly or in whole groups-families. Unlike yellow mushrooms, amethyst horns are much smaller and reach a height of 7 centimeters. The stem of the fungus is practically absent, and the ends of the branches are jagged. Like yellow ramaria, amethyst also belongs to the fourth category and is eaten at a young age.
Completely different from the first two representatives of reed ramaria. It grows in coniferous forests from mid-July and lasts until mid-September. Happens in small groups of 3-5mushrooms. The yellow body in the form of a tongue or club grows up to 10 centimeters and, unlike previous varieties, does not branch. With age, the fungus stretches and begins to resemble a dark yellow or brown tongue. The mushroom is edible and eaten boiled or dried.
The kingdom of wildlife is striking in its diversity. Someone admires his children with their unusual appearance, someone is disgusted. It is to such ambiguous representatives that horn mushrooms belong.
