| Mushroom type: | Inedible, poisonous |
| Other names (synonyms): | Earthy-lamellar fiber |
| Latin name: | Inocybe geophylla |
| Family: | Fiber (Inocybaceae) |
| Distinctive feature: | Earthy fiber contains the deadly poison muscarine, which does not decompose when cooked or dried. The first signs of poisoning appear 40-50 minutes after eating the mushroom. Signs of poisoning: profuse sweating, tachycardia, blood pressure drops sharply, breathing is impaired, vomiting and diarrhea appear. |
| Season start: | July |
| End of the season: | September |
| Leg height (cm): | 3-6 cm |
| Hat width (cm): | 1.5-4 cm |
| Smell: | earthy |
| Taste: | pointed |
| Tasting score: | - |
| Hat: | first has a conical shape, then convex-outstretched with a tubercle andthe remains of the bedspread around the edges. The surface is silky-fibrous, pleasant to the touch, shiny, painted in a whitish color (or with a purple tint) then becomes ocher-yellowish with a more pronounced center. |
| Leg: | cylindrical, solid, longitudinally fibrous, dense, straight, without thickening at the base characteristic of toadstools. Slightly thickened at the base, smoothly fibrous, whitish, above with a mealy-like bloom. In old mushrooms, it becomes hollow, the color can be either white or darken to brownish. |
| Hymenophore (lower part of the cap): | plates are frequent, wide, grayish-yellow (gray-violet), then yellowish-brown with age. |
| Disputes: | ellipsoidal, unequal, light brownish, 8-10 by 4-5 microns. |
| Pulp: | thin, whitish or purple. |
| Natural environment and mycorrhiza: | under both coniferous and deciduous trees. |
| False doubles: | the characteristic color of Incoybe geophylla (off-white or purple), an earthy odor and a leg without thickening make it possible to distinguish the earthen fiber from the mass of other members of the genus. |
| Cultivation: | - |
| Use: | highly toxic, contains muscarine in extreme concentration. |
| Medicinal properties: | - |
| Spreading: | in Europe and North America |
Earthen fiber is one of the most dangerous poisonous mushrooms. Poisoning is very difficult and can lead to death. To avoid tragic cases, you should know well what the fruiting body looks like, what are the symptoms of intoxication with a poisonous substance that it contains.
Description of the mushroom
In the reference literature, Earthen fiber is also often called Earthy-lamellar, Earthen lilac, or Inocybe ordinary. This mushroom belongs to the Fiber family (Spiderweed) and the Fiber genus. All species of this genus (their number is about 200) belong to the Plastic group.
Earthen fiber also has a Latin name - Inocybe geophylla: "inos" means "fibrous" or "fiber", and "cybe" means "head" or "hat". The name is due to the corresponding characteristics of the upper part of the mushroom.