Edible, therapeutic and toxic mushrooms
14
TURTLE MUSHROOM
Sarcodon squamosus
Frequency
Plentiful
Habitat
In association with pines, mainly Jack Pine. In the boreal forest, it fruits in abundance in Jack Pine stands between 18 and 30 years old; in this habitat, harvests are sometimes calculated in tons.
Cap
Convex cap then spread out, covered with coarse concentric scales, smaller and flattened towards the margin.
Margin
Even.
Spines
Long spines easily detachable at maturity. Some caps have double or triple spines, look alike a fork or a trident.
Hymenium surface
Pale grey when young, browning with age.
Stalk
Whitish, equal, rounded at the base.
Flesh
Thick, whitish, browning with age. This mushroom gives its full flavor when it is dehydrated.
Unfit for human consumption
When the fruit bodies appear, they must be harvested as soon as possible while the flesh is still pale grey. As it ages, the flesh becomes browner.
Comments
Send a comment
Champignons Laurentiens introduced this mushroom and commercialized it under the name of Turtle Mushroom due to its resemblance to a turtle on lichen in the boreal forest.
This mushroom contains a pigment that can dye wool or silk an iridescent blue-green.
During rainfall, water saturates the cap and the flesh becomes engorged. To ensure that all this water has evaporated, a couple of sunny days should pass before the harvest can go on.
More photos
For more informations
Formation
For those who wish to improve their knowledge, register for the Foundation's training program on this site and receive a certificate confirming the fruit of your efforts.