Top 20 Edible Mushrooms Popular in Ticino

Sticky bolete is a bolete commonly found in groups on larch plantation paths. The common name, "sticky bolete," comes from this mushroom's slimy and sticky film that develops on wet caps. This film does not form any other species in the genus and is a distinguishable feature of this mushroom.

Winecork brittlegill is a widespread mushroom species that typically makes its home on acidic soils in coniferous forests. It gets the name winecork from its smell, which is similar to that of empty wine barrels or bottle corks. The specific Latin name adusta translates as burn or toast and refers to the color of the stem.

Beefsteak fungus(Fistulina hepatica) is an unusual fungus that visually resembles a slab of raw meat; cutting into it will cause a discharge of thick red liquid resembling blood, adding to this resemblance.

Buttery collybia mushrooms grow mainly on the floors of coniferous forests, from summer to winter across Europe and North America. This mushroom is called “buttery” not for its flavor, but rather the greasy texture of its surface. In the genus name, “rhodo” means pink, a reference to the shade of the gills beneath its cap.

Sweetbread mushroom(Clitopilus prunulus) is commonly found in grasslands, and it may be solitary or found among others of its kind. It exudes a characteristic odor reminiscent of raw pastry, responsible for its alternative common name of "the sweetbread mushroom." Foraging is discouraged for this mushroom, as its appearance is too similar to a deadly species.

The cap is initially hemispherical with a margin that is rolled inward, later flattening to become convex or flat with a depressed center and margin that curves upward slightly; it reaches 3–13 cm (1.2–5.1 in) in diameter. The cap surface has a felt-like texture and is slightly sticky to the touch. Its colour is orange to yellow-brown or orange-brown, with concentric rings that are palest near the margin. The thin, crowded gills have an adnate to slightly decurrent attachment to the stipe, and are a pale pinkish-buff colour. The cylindric stipe measures 2–9 cm (0.8–3.5 in) long by 0.7–2.5 cm (0.3–1.0 in) thick, and tapers slightly both near the top and the base. It has a smooth surface and ranges in colour from pale cream to pinkish-buff. The spore print is cream, while the spores are ellipsoid, measuring 6.3–9.6 by 5.2–7.3 µm. They have an incompletely reticulated surface with ridges up to 0.5 µm high. The basidia (spore-bearing cells) are somewhat club-shaped, four-spored, and measure 40–50 by 10–13 µm.

As hinted by its name, powdery brittlegill has a distinctive powdery coating on its cap. Powdery brittlegill is mycorrhizal, meaning it forms underground connections with plants. This mushroom specifically prefers oaks but can also be found around other trees.

The ochre brittlegill is a large and ubiquitous russula that can be found growing in mixed temperate woodlands across the Northern Hemisphere. This mushroom is distinguished by its smooth ochre cap, which may sometimes have tinges of green, brown, or even purple to it. Ochre brittlegills have brittle gills and bulbous, white stalks.