Top 14 Most Common Mushrooms in Ecuador

Tropical white polypore(Favolus tenuiculus) can be most often found on pieces of decaying wood, particularly in areas replete with moisture. Until recently it was a member of the genus Polyporus, which has since been subdivided. Named for its evocative appearance, the species is a favorite food of local insect species.

Like all stinkhorns, the fruit body begins its development as a partially submerged "egg" form attached to rhizomorphs. The egg is roughly ovoid, measuring 1.5 to 2 cm (0.6 to 0.8 in) by 1.2–1.6 cm (0.5–0.6 in). The fruit body consists of a spongy, hollow white stalk between 12–16 cm (4.7–6.3 in) tall, with a collar of greenish-brown gleba positioned above the center, but below the apex. The glebal band is constricted compared to the width of the remainder of the stalk, between 1 and 2 cm (0.4 and 0.8 in) thick. The cap, or receptaculum, is at the top of the stalk; it is spongy, conical, and chambered, free from gleba. A volva sits at the base of the stem, and has rhizomorphs attached to it. The spores are elliptical, hyaline (translucent), and measure 2.5–3 by 1.2–1.5 μm. The edibility of the mushroom is unknown.

In Northern Asia and Europe, fly agaric grows under trees near the winter solstice and is collected for ritual use tied to the season. Its characteristic shape and coloring are still ubiquitous in many European fairy tale illustrations and Christmas traditions. It is highly toxic.

The shaggy mane mushroom is commonly found in North American and European grasslands. Some peoples foraged for its young egg-shaped caps, but it has more recently been found to be a bioaccumulator of heavy metals, meaning it pulls toxic metals up from the soil where it grows. As a result, shaggy manes should not be eaten. The mushrooms usually appear in clusters or “fairy rings.”