Local Name
Machalo (1).
Description
Cap: The cap is 4–10 cm across, convex then depressed to funnel-shaped, often becoming wavy or cracked at the margin, cream at first and covered in a whitish bloom then smooth and tinged ochraceous, finally ochre-brown. Gills are deeply decurrent, white to pale flesh. Stem: The stem is 2–5 cm long, 1–2 cm thick, frequently excentric, usually several fused into a common base, whitish becoming tinged with cap colour. Flesh: The flesh is whitish, odor of flour. Spores: The spores are 8–11 X 3.5–5 µm, subcylindric or elliptical, whitish, pale cream or colourless.
Habitat: On the wood of recently dead hardwoods, in damp forests, especially on hornbeam and beech. Season: Summer, autumn.
Distribution: All regions of Georgia (3).
Uses
Edibility: Edible when young and fresh (1).
Tianeti — “Machalo looks like Khetamkhali mushroom, but whitish and appears in spring time” (3). Kakheti — “Usually Machalo appears in spring time, but not in drought periods” (4).
Note: Machalo use for food only in Eastern Georgia.
References
- Nakhutsrishvili, I.G. (2007) Fungi of Georgia. Tbilisi: Buneba Printi.
- Nakhutsrishvili, I.G., et al. (1986) Flora of Spore-producing Plants of Georgia (Summary). Tbilisi: Metsniereba (Russian).
- Mamadashvili, T. (2014) Tianeti.
- Batsilashvili, B. (2015) Kvareli.