Fungus

As I’m starting this list, it’s late autumn, so I’ve unfortunately missed a chance to photograph and catalog the abundance of late summer and early autumn. I’ll start this page with only edible mushrooms, because those are the ones that I’ve made an effort to seek out and identify. At the end of next summer, I plan on spending much more time and energy identifying mushrooms, so by that time, this list should really come to life.

The number one rule of mushroom foraging is “Don’t munch on a hunch!” If any of the mushrooms in this list look familiar, and you are interested in trying your hand at foraging for the first time, then I highly recommend buying a good guide book and following the instructions within to safely identify your mushrooms before eating them. I’m including the scientific name for all the specimens that I publish on this website so that readers can do further research at home in any language. I’m not including any information about how to identify the mushrooms, but I will include brief notes on each entry.

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Cauliflower Fungus

Sparassis crispa

This is a very rare fungus that grows on the stumps of coniferous trees. I’ve only ever seen it grow on dead trees. It is a very fleshy fungus with a special zesty kind of flavor.

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Wood Hedgehog

Hydnum repandum

A very common and easy to find toothed mushroom in the Serra da Lousã. When the season turns frosty, these mushrooms can be found in Eucalyptus stands, growing in arching lines.

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Bay Bolete

Xerocomus badius

A fairly common small to medium spongy mushroom. Edible, but not choice.

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Summer Cep

Boletus reticulatus

A truly delicious spongy mushroom, with an umami flavor, perhaps my favorite. It grows prolifically in deciduous forest during the warm months, but only after rain, and only in certain spots.