Top 20 Most Common Mushrooms in San Luis Obispo
Nestled on the Pacific Coast of San Luis Obispo, rich in verdant hills and enchanting vineyards. This charming city is blessed with more than just picturesque landscapes, it's also a burgeoning paradise for fungi aficionados. The 20 most common mushroom species here flourish eloquently, adorning its breath-taking topography, offering a diverse range of shapes, sizes, and flavors for every mushroom enthusiast's delight.
Most Common Mushrooms
1. Lace lichen
Lace lichen stands out for its net-like, pendulous structure, making it easily distinguishable from others. It's not a mushroom but a lichen, a unique partnership between fungi and algae. Living mainly on oak trees, it's considered a sensitive air quality indicator. Its presence often indicates good air quality, since it's sensitive to pollutants. This lace lichen plays a vital role in its ecosystem, providing shelter and food for numerous species.
2. Western jack-o'-lantern mushroom
The western jack-o'-lantern mushroom (Omphalotus olivascens) may be the most visually striking mushroom of the forest during day and night. During the day, brilliant large orange flat caps grow from both the ground and decaying stumps. At night, these mushrooms may glow in the dark, depending on location and maturity.
3. Yellow fieldcap
Yellow fieldcap can be found across Europe and North America, with dung patties or heavily-manured fields being its favorite fruiting habitat. The species sometimes goes by the common name Yellow Fieldcap because its young cap sports a bold yellow or golden hue (that color often fades as the mushroom cap matures and flattens). Yellow fieldcap is not know to be edible.
4. Springtime amanita
The springtime amanita is so-called because it normally fruits in late winter or early spring. The species, which has a cap toned with pale orange, pink, or brown, may be mistaken for toxic Amanita species, especially when it is young. Springtime amanitas can be found along the coast from southern Oregon down through California.
5. Chicken-of-the-woods
Chicken-of-the-woods is a brightly-colored polypore related to the famed Chicken-of-the-Woods (Laetiporus sulphereus). The species are so closely related, that it was not until the 2000s that mycologists considered them to be distinct. Unlike its famed relative, the species is not considered a choice edible - there are conflicting reports as to its edibility, with some probable cases of gastrointestinal distress noted.
6. Cramp balls
Most commonly found on the surface of dead or dying oak trees, the pathogenic fungus cramp balls(Annulohypoxylon thouarsianum) is seen as an indicator of the health of any individual oak. The rapid proliferation of Sudden Oak Death, a blight increasingly common in the northwestern United States, has led to an increase in appearance of this fungus there.
7. Blewit
The blewit mushroom grows in fallen leaves in autumn and winter, sometimes appearing in ‘fairy ring’ circles. It can be used to make a green dye when chopped and boiled in an iron pot. The scientific name, Lepista nuda, derives from Latin words meaning “bare goblet,” a reference to the shape and texture of the mushroom.
8. Golden milk-cap
Sporting a subdued yellow cap with an indentation in the center, the golden milk-cap is often found growing near oaks. They look similar to other milkcaps and russalas, but can be distinguished by a quirky characteristic: when cut, the species bleeds a thick, milky-white, latex-like substance. Golden milk-caps are not toxic but they are incredibly bitter and so are considered inedible.
9. Red beard lichen
Usnea rubicunda (red beard lichen), is a type of tree lichen native to temperate regions of North, Central and South America, as well as Europe, East Asia, and North Africa. This sp. very foliosy form very dense hairy clusters of orange to reddish color
10. Turkey tail
The distinctively-striped turkey tail fungus grows on stumps and logs all over the forests of the northern hemisphere. It is, in fact, probably the most common species you will find. That doesn't mean this mushroom is plain, however; each cap is uniquely patterned. Look for bands of alternating textures as well as color.
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