I’ve spent the past two weeks studying mushrooms around the world. Apparently mushroom hunting is popular in Europe, the Mediterranean regions, and in the northwestern United States. In particular, the Slavic region is known to pass the knowledge of mushroom hunting down through the generations. It is still my opinion that it’s incredibly risky, but here’s to the forage of mushrooms.
From me to you: Don’t pick and eat mushrooms in the wild unless you know what you’re doing. Ever.
Fungi: divided into two groups: the Micromycetes and the Macromycetes, or Macrofungi. Mushrooms are Macromycetes. Fungi do not contain chlorophyll and usually live off of organic matter, whether living or dead. Saprophytes grow in the soil or on dead things, Parasitic fungi attack living things, usually trees, and Symbiotic fungi work with trees to promote the growth of both organisms. There is also lichen, which is a symbiotic relation between algae and fungi.
Mushrooms have been consumed all around the world for thousands of years but it was the Chinese that first documented it and today are leading exporters of cultivated mushrooms. The pharaohs of Egypt decreed that they could only be consumed by royalty and the emperors of Rome pushed something similar. However, in Eurasia, Turkey, parts of Africa, and Mexico, mushrooms made up the diet of rural people rather than nobility.
Habitat: Some mushrooms only grow in fields or in conifer or deciduous forests. Some mushrooms will only grow specifically under one genus of tree.
From me to you: Don’t pick and eat mushrooms in the wild unless you know what you’re doing. Ever.
Note: Check out the names as you go. I saw eight or nine that I’d totally use in a game as “magic” mushrooms. Mushrooms are the first organisms I’ve come across that have “The” in the beginning of their names. “The Sickener”… that’s awesome!
Edible Cultivated Mushrooms
- Agaricus bisporus: champignon, button mushroom, portabello, crimini, most important crop
- Agaricus campestric: Meadow mushroom
- Auricularia: Jelly fungus, tree-ear fungus, used in Chinese cuisine
- Flammulina: Winter Mushroom, enokitake
- Hypsizygus: Shimeji, Beech mushroom
- Lentinus edodes: Shiitake, Oak mushroom
- Pleurotus: Oyster mushroom, king trumpet mushroom, second most important crop
- Rhizopus: Fungal starter for tempeh
- Sparassis: Increasingly cultivated
- Tremella: Snow Fungus, Jelly fungus found in Chinese cuisine
- Ustilago: Corn smut, regarded a fungal pest, in Mexico is a delicacy
- Volvariella: Paddy Straw Mushroom
Mushrooms Commonly Harvested from the Wild
Highly Prized
- King Bolete or porcini: Prized. Found in North America and Europe, and even in Lebanon, Nepal, and Syria
- The Chanterelle: Easily identifiable. Found in Asia, Europe, North America, and Australia
- Blewit: Can cause allergic reactions in some people. Found in Europe
- Gypsy Mushroom: Found in Europe and the Americas
- Horn of Plenty: Europe and North America
- Maitake (Sheep’s Head, Hen of the Woods): Native to Japan and northeastern North America. Used in Japanese and Chinese medicine.
- Lion’s Mane Mushroom (Pom Pom): Found on hardwoods in North America and Asia, popular Asian ingredient and medicine.
- Wood Hedgehog: Found in North America and Europe
- Saffron Milk Cap: Europe and North America has spread among pine plantations to other regions.
- Morchella (True Morel): Found most often after forest fires in North America and Europe. Highly prized.
- Matsutake: Grows in China, Korea, and Japan, as well as the Pacific Northwest of North America. It been an element of Japanese cuisine for a thousand years. Used in traditional mushroom gift giving. Was becoming rare and expensive, but in 1999 a Northern European variety was reported to be of the same species.
- Truffles: Valuable and highly sought-after, closely associated with trees. First mentioned by Threophrastus.
- Black Truffle: Almost exclusively European (more in France) under oak ($300–$880 a pound)
- White Truffle: European (mostly Italy) under oak, hazel, poplar, and beech. ($1350–$2700). One 3.3 pound specimen at auction brought $330,000.
- Chinese Truffle: mass harvested in China, not as tasty. Low price.
- Summer Truffle: Northern Italy, central Europe, UK, and some in Turkey and North Africa under oaks, hazel and beech. Highly prized ($670 pound)
Lesser Prized
- Caesar’s Mushroom: Once prized by Romans, found in southern Europe and North Africa (similar species elsewhere)
- Honey mushrooms: Long-lived and form some of largest living organisms in the world. Edible and tasty, but poisonous species often grow nearby
- Bay Bolete: North America and Europe
- Pine Spikes: Throughout northern Hemisphere to the Caribbean. Edible but bland
- Giant Puffball: Worldwide. Edible when young, but some deadly amanitas look like small puffballs before they erupt from the base.
- Antler Fungi: Worldwide. Some are poisonous but those that aren’t are harvested early
- Shaggy Mane: Common fungus in Europe, North America, and recently introduced to Australia and New Zealand. Excellent when young.
- Beafsteak Mushroom: Looks like raw meat, Most often seen in Britain, although also found throughout Europe and in North America and Australia. Found on oaks, sweet chestnut, and eucalyptus
- Chicken of the Woods (Sulfur Shelf): Grows on tree wounds throughout the world
- Red-capped Saber Stalk: North America and Europe
- Birch Bolete: Widespread in Europe
- Dryad’s Saddle: Only edible when young, found in western United States and western Europe.
- Sparassis: Cauliflower or Brain mushroom, species found in Europe and US.
- Jersey Cow Mushroom: once left for medieval peasants, found in Europe.
- Sticky Bun, Slippery Jack: Throughout northern hemisphere, introduced to Australia
Black Market Mushrooms
- Agrocybe: Many species are poisonous but Agrocybe farinacea contains psilocybin and is collected in Japan
- Amanita muscaria: Found throughout northern hemisphere and in introduced pine plantations in southern hemisphere. Death rare.
- Conocybe: dunce caps, coneheads, four species psychoactive, the rest poisonous.
- Copelandia: tropics and neotropics of both hemispheres, one species north to Switzerland.
- Gerronema: Tropics, rarely used
- Gymnopilus: Rarely used due to bitterness
- Hypholoma: Common species, worldwide
- Inocybe: hundreds of species, many are psychoactive
- Panaeolus: Europe and North America. Thirteen species used for psychoactive purposes.
- Pluteus: US and Europe. Several species contain psilocybin
- Psilocybe: Worldwide
Poisonous Mushrooms
There are about 100 species of poisonous mushrooms, varying in degree of toxicity. There are a few species that some people can eat, but others can’t. Then there are those that are just unpalatable or indigestible. Here, some psychedelic mushrooms are included with the poisonous ones due to negatives effects on the body, such as stomach cramps.
Common Poisonous Mushrooms of the field
- Ivory Funnel or Sweating Mushroom (Clitocybe dealbata)
- Silky Entoloma (Entoloma sericeum)
- Star-Spotted Enteloma (Entoloma conferendum)
- Liberty Caps (Psilocybe semilanceata)
- Mountain psilocybe (Psilocybe Montana)
- Two-Tone Hebeloma (veiled poisonpie) (Hebeloma mesophaeum)
- Conical Wax Cap (Witch’s Hat) (Hygrocybe conica)
- Yellow-Staining Mushroom (Agaricus xanthoderma):
- Brown Hay Cap (Panaeolus foenisecii)
- Dung Fungus (Panaeolus semiovatus)
- Hoop Petticoat Fungus (Panaeolus sphinctrinus)
- Earthball (Scleroderma verrucosum)
Common Poisonous Mushrooms of mixed woods (conifer and deciduous)
- Red-Staining Inocybe (Inocybe patouillardii)
- Torn-Capped Inocybe (Inocybe lacera)
- Common White Inocybe (Inocybe geophylla)
- Deceiving Inocybe (Inocybe fraudens)
- Fastigiate Inocybe (Inocybe rimosa)
- Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria)
- Jonquil Amanita (Amanita junquillea)
- Panther Cap (Amanita pantherina)
- Warty Amanita (Amanita echinocephala)
- Speckled Tricholoma (Tricholoma pardinum)
- Sulfur Tricholoma (Tricholoma sulphureum)
- Semisanguine Cortinarius (Cortinarius semisanguineus)
- Blood-Red Cortinarius (Cortinarius sanguineus)
- Cinnamon Cortinarius (Cortinarius cinnamomeus)
- Ocher and Red Cortinarius (Cortinarius bolaris)
- Brick Cap (Hypholoma sublateritium)
- Sulfur Tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare)
- Pure Mycena (Mycena pura)
- Star-Spored Entoloma (Entoloma conferendum)
- Ocelot Entoloma (Entoloma cetratum)
- Poison Pie (Hebeloma crustuliniforme)
- Veridigris Russula (Russula æruginia)
- Spruce Parasol (Lepiota ventriosospora)
- Cat Parasol (Lepiota feline)
- Crested Lepiota (Lepiota cristata)
- Earthball (Scleroderma verrucosum)
- Common Earthball (Scleroderma citrinum)
- Penetrating Agaric (Gymnopilus penetrans)
- Beautiful Coral Fungus (Ramaria formosa)
- Pale Coral Fungus (Ramaria pallida)
- Hairy-Stemmed Psilocybe (Psilocybe crobula)
Common Poisonous Mushrooms of deciduous woods
- Jack O’Lantern (Omphalotus olearis)
- Deceiving Funnel Cap (Omphalotus illudens)
- Leaf-mold Agaric (Clitocybe phyllophila)
- Star-spored Inocybe (Inocybe asterospora)
- Green-capped Inocybe (Inocybe corydalina)
- Mauve-stemmed Inocybe (Inocybe griseolilacina)
- Fiery Agaric (Gymnopilus spectabilis)
- The Sickener (Russula emetica)
- Fragile Russula (Russula fragilis
- Livid Entoloma (Entoloma lividum)
- Nitrous Entoloma (Entoloma nidorosum)
- Pink-and-Gray Entoloma (Entoloma rhodopolium)
- Peppery Hebeloma (Hebeloma sinapizans)
- Shield-shaped Parasol (Lepiota clypeolaria)
- Phoenician Cortinarius (Cortinarius phœnceus)
- Red-banded Cortinarius (Cortinarius armillatus)
- Devil’s Bolete (Boletus satanas)
- Whitish Bolete (Boletus radicans)
- Pink Mycena (Mycena rosea)
- Two-toned Mycena (Mycena pelianthina)
- Woolly Milk Cap (Lactarius torminosus)
- Yellow Milk Cap (Lactarius chrysorrheus)
- The Scaly Mushroom (Agaricus præclaresquamosus)
As far as anyone knows there are 15 or so deadly species of mushrooms that kill every time they are consumed (the ones above will suck, but you may live). The list keeps growing, however, as more species are discovered… often accidentally and fatally.
14 Awesome Killers
- The Death Cap (Amanita phalloides)
- Spring Amanita (Amanita verna)
- The Destroying Angel (Amanita virosa)
- Close Amanita (Amanita proxima)
- Red-brown Parasol (Lepiota bruneoincarnata)
- Lilac-brown Parasol (Lepiota bruneolilacina)
- Brown Parasol (Lepiota helveola)
- Annatto-colored Cortinarius (Cortinarius orellanus)
- Suspect Cortinarius (Cortinarius speciosissimus)
- Marginate Galera (Galerina marginata)
- Autumn Galera (Galerina autumnalis)
- Turban Fungus or False Morel (Gyromitra esculenta)
- The Brown Roll Rim (Paxillus involutus)
- Violet Elf Cap (Sarcosphaera coronaria)
Conditionally Edible Species
Some fungi are good for some and toxic to others.
Amanita muscaria is edible if parboiled. Fresh mushrooms hallucinogenic and may cause seizures or coma.
Coprinopsis atramentaria is edible without special preparation. However, consumption with alcohol is toxic. Some other Coprinus members share this property.
Gyromitra esculenta, or False Morel, eaten by some after it is parboiled; however, not recommended. It is a delicacy in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, and along the upper Great Lakes region of North America. Finnish eat it regularly and was once popular in the Pyrenees before it was prohibited. Raw Gyromitra are toxic, and it is not known if all of the toxin can be removed by parboiling. Found in North America into Mexico and Central Europe, with rare appearances in Ireland and Turkey.
Apart from Lactarius deliciosus, which is universally considered edible, other Lactarius that are considered toxic elsewhere in the world are eaten in Russia after pickling or parboiling.
Verpa bohimica is considered choice by some and can be found for sale as a “morel,” but cases of toxicity have been reported. Verpas contain toxins similar to gyromitrin and similar precautions apply.
Game Relations
So, okay. Add the edible species listed above to your forage lists for your characters, but roll to see if they successfully identify the right mushroom. Give them advantages if they’re Scandinavian. Obviously, writers love using mushrooms (or toadstools) in witchcraft-associated adventure hooks. Breaking open a black market trade in psychoactive (or REAL magic) mushrooms isn’t too difficult either. It seems many mushrooms have very specific growing habitats, and if the habitat of a very rare magical mushroom was threatened by a natural or manmade disaster, the characters would have a reason to help out.
Next Month: The Bibliography, or Where I say ‘so long’ to Plants.
