Top 20 Edible Mushrooms Popular in Texas

1. Fan-shaped jelly-fungus

Just as its Latin and the common English names suggest, the fan-shaped jelly-fungus (Dacryopinax spathularia) is a fan-shaped or spatula-shaped jelly-like mushroom. It commonly grows in wood cracks and it sometimes even appears in the cracks of the processed wood and lumber. Despite the word "jelly" in its name, the fan-shaped jelly-fungus is not considered edible.

2. Indigo milk cap

This gorgeous species is unlike any other. The indigo milk cap, a member of the often-drab russula family, is deep blue in color. Like other milk caps, it bleeds a latex-like substance when cut or damaged, but instead of the usual white this species bleeds deep blue.

3. Silky sheath

Silky sheaths (Volvariella bombycina) are widely distributed, being found in temperate and sub-tropical forests around the world, but rare. The fruitbody emerges from a silky-textured volva, and the mushroom's white or off-white cap is usually quite smooth as well. One of this species' favored microhabitats is the rotted knotholes of mature maples, elms, oaks, or beeches.

4. Oyster mushroom

Oyster mushrooms grow wild but are also cultivated for sale in supermarkets. They can even be cultivated at home. They will grow on coffee grounds and spent grain, and are occasionally even fashioned into an environmentally-friendly substitute for styrofoam. There are several toxic look-alike species, so it is best to buy these mushrooms at the store.

5. Dead man's foot

Dead man's foot (Pisolithus arhizus) actually bears a number of colorful names stemming from its unusual appearance, such as the horse dung fungus (Australia). It can be distilled into a viscous black gel, which is then used as a natural dye for clothing. It is considered to be inedible.

6. Purple-spored puffball

It's hard to mistake this mushroom for another. The aptly-named purple-spored puffball has a large, round, or pear-shaped fruiting body and is purple or chocolate-brown in color (with spores to match). Purple-spored puffballs are found in prairies and meadows across North America and Australia.

7. Chicken of the woods

Chicken of the woods is very noticeable in hardwood forests, appearing in clusters on standing tree trunks in bright orange and yellow hues that sometimes last through the entire winter. It is a parasite that causes an unfortunate brown heart rot, and is considered a particularly troublesome pest of Yew trees. If the fruitbodies can be seen, the tree is likely already beyond saving.

8. Peeling puffball

It is easy to spot as it resembles a puffball but has spines that gradually peel off as it ages. This appearance gave this mushroom its common name "peeling puffball." peeling puffball thrives underneath deciduous and conifer trees, getting its nutrients from decaying plant matter.

9. Scaly lentinus

Scaly lentinus(Neolentinus lepideus) may be found alone or in groups along dead or decaying pieces of timber. Due to its ability to colonize even chemically treated wood, including railroad tracks, it has been given the nickname "train wrecker." Due to inconsistent reports of safety, consumption is discouraged.

10. Ruby bolete

True to its name, ruby bolete is bright red when young but fades to a greenish-red when older. This mushroom is most commonly found growing in groups in open areas or on forest edges. However, it may be difficult to distinguish ruby bolete from other boletes.

11. Shaggy mane

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.”

12. Tiger sawgill

The tiger sawgill (Lentinus tigrinus) is a small mushroom with a name that is not particularly accurate. Sporting neither the color nor the pattern that we commonly associate with the tiger, it has a subdued, pale cap that is usually covered in brown patches. The eighteenth-century European that named the species may have been thinking of a leopard.

13. Big sheath mushroom

These large white mushrooms bloom all over cleared, harvested fields, as well as pastures and roadsides. The scientific species name comes from Greek words meaning “glue” (glioio) and “head” (cephalus), in reference to the sticky surface of this mushroom’s cap. The big sheath mushroom looks so similar to the poisonous Deathcap and Destroying Angel mushrooms that it should always be left alone.

14. 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.

15. Red chanterelle

Red chanterelles can be found growing within hardwood forests across eastern North America. These small but striking mushrooms range from orange to red to pink in color. Edible and boasting complex flavors, many chanterelles are highly sought after. The red chanterelle, though less famous than some of its close relatives, is no exception. This species can be used in all sorts of recipes, with a vaguely sweet or piney taste.

16. Deer mushroom

The deer mushroom is can be found sprouting up from rotting logs, branches, and roots, and while it may have a preference for hardwoods it isn't very picky. Unlike many other mushroom species, the fruitbodies can be found blooming across a wide range of seasons. They have a faint, radish-like odor.

17. Coral tooth fungus

Coral tooth fungus (Hericium coralloides) is a species of coral mushroom most frequently sighted on dead or decaying hardwoods. Generally, younger specimens are white and become increasingly yellowish as they mature. Found around the world, the Māori refer to this species as pekepekekiore.

18. Pear-shaped puffball

The mushrooms of this species grow in such tight clusters that they may cover fallen trees and stumps almost entirely in a brownish, puffy coat. Pear-shaped puffballs appear all around the northern hemisphere on decaying hardwoods from fall through winter.

19. Common puffball

These puffy mushrooms grow in small groups on the forest floor. Once they're mature, common puffballs turn yellow and "puff out" smoke-like spore clouds when disturbed. Be very careful when identifying these mushrooms, as their young, immature form looks very similar to the lethal Deathcap.

20. Lion's Mane Mushroom

Lion's Mane Mushroom(Hericium erinaceus) is easily identifiable by its characteristic appearance, reminiscent of the majestic mane of a lion. It often sprouts along hardwoods, which may be living or dead. Scientists thus debate whether this species is truly parasitic or merely saprophytic in nature.

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