Whenever you hear the word “Mushroom” what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Well, when I hear the word Mushroom, I remember some wild mushrooms that I notice while roaming around the forest, fields, straws, cow dung, and many more. Can you share what you think of when you hear the word Mushroom in the comment section below?

The word “Mushroom” is widely accepted to be originated from the old French word “moisseron (mousseron)” derived from mousse, meaning moss. Most mushroom species belong to two phyla - Basidiomycota and Ascomycota (or Basidiomycetes and Ascomycetes classes) under the Kingdom Mycota (Fungi). Approximately 14000 described species of the millions of fungi estimated in the world produce fruiting bodies that are large enough to be considered mushrooms. Among them, 7000 are considered to possess a varying degree of edibility and till now around 200 species have successfully been grown at a laboratory scale. 60 species have the potential for commercial cultivation; only about 10 species are cultivated at an industrial scale in many countries. Wild mushrooms are important Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) from the forests and have been used as food since immemorial. Wild mushroom contributes to 9% of the total mushroom population. The collection of wild mushrooms is common in Nepal, and important for livelihoods in rural areas.

The wild mushroom belongs to 108 families, 375 genera, and 1291 species. Among these 159 mushrooms are edible, 74 are medicinal, and 100 are poisonous mushrooms. The different wild species of mushroom are found across the country.

Different other wild edible mushrooms found in Nepal are:

1.     Ganoderma species

2.     Morchella esculanta ,M.conica ,M.smithiana

3.     Coprinus atramentarius

4.     Armillaria mellea

5.     Caprinus comatus

6.     Cordyceps sinensis

7.     Gomphus clavatus

8.     Ramaria botrytis

9.     Agaricus compestris

10. Lycoperdon spp

11. Lactarius deterrimus

12. Amanita caesarea

Many wild edible mushrooms are yet to be explored and scientifically tasted. Can you share wild edible mushrooms of your region in comment box?