Top 20 Edible Mushrooms Popular in Argentona

Growing wild in the northern hemisphere and introduced to Australia, the saffron milk cap is found in pine forests during autumn. As the name implies, these mushrooms have been harvested for cooking for a long time. They have been known to cause stomach upset in some individuals, however, and carry a risk of being contaminated with heavy metals, so forage with caution.

Bloody milk cap (Lactarius sanguifluus) has a distinctive appearance with its pale exterior but a deep blood-red interior, for which it is named. This mushroom can be found in pine forests where it grows in a mycorrhizal relationship with the trees. Bloody milk cap is known to accumulate large quantities of toxic heavy metals.

Found in clearings and grassy areas in late summer, the wild parasol mushroom has a snakeskin-patterned stem. The brown spots on its cap make it look a bit shaggy, but that name is reserved for its poisonous counterpart, the Shaggy Parasol (Chlorophyllum rhacodes). You can distinguish the two by the stems: the latter has a smooth stem and red flesh inside.

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.”

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.

The meadow mushroom grows in meadows and pastures around the world—especially those rich in manure—when the weather is warm and wet. They are known to appear in “fairy ring” shapes. Originally identified in Europe, it is possible that North American specimens identified as meadow mushrooms may genetically belong to other species.

The torq (Agaricus bitorquis) is a white-capped agaric that bears a resemblance to, and is closely related to, the commonly-eaten button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus). This hardy, generalist species does well even in urban environments - their white fruiting bodies can be seen poking up through woodchips, mulch, sidewalk cracks, and even asphalt.

Ramaria gracilis fruit bodies (basidiocarps), which are made up of a dense cluster of branches, measure up to 8 centimetres (3.1 in) in height and 4 centimetres (1.6 in) in width. The individual branches, which have fairly thin bases, are typically forked and sometimes entangled with one another. In colour, the basidiocarps vary from a pale brown to white to pink-beige. The smell of anise can be used to distinguish the species from the otherwise similar Ramariopsis kunzei and Clavulina cristata. R. gracilis produces spores which measure from 5 to 7 by 3 to 4.5 micrometres (µm). The spores are elliptic with small warts which can be thin enough to look like spines. They vary in colour from yellow to brown. The cylindrical to club-shaped basidia measure from 25 to 45 by 5 to 7 µm. The hyphae are from 2 to 10 µm thick.