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Nothing catches the attention fairly like lion’s mane.
As autumn reaches frosted fingertips throughout the forest, this spectral snow-white mushroom awakens in a spectacular show of toothy alabaster floes.
However lion’s mane is greater than only a fairly face. It’s a scrumptious, nutritious, and extremely medicinal mycological powerhouse coveted by foragers throughout the nation.
Sadly, it isn’t precisely widespread. If you wish to enhance your possibilities of efficiently foraging lion’s mane mushroom, it’s important to study extra about its figuring out options and customary look-alikes that might journey you up within the subject.
Learn how to Determine Lion’s Mane Mushroom
Lion’s mane looks as if a reasonably daring widespread identify for the Latin Hericium erinaceus, which suggests “hedgehog.” However when you see lion’s mane, it’s simple to discern why each may very well be thought of apt titles.
A ball of spines tapering right down to drooping tooth, this mushroom is each lovely and barely ferocious. Its distinctive look makes it a comparatively protected and simple mushroom to determine.
Look
Lion’s mane mushroom is a shaggy white orb suspended boldly towards a panorama of wealthy purple and yellow autumn hues. Specimens can develop over a foot throughout, although many stay a extra modest seven to 10 inches. Hardly ever I see lion’s mane that reaches peak prime at solely two or three inches.
Just like the puffball mushroom, lion’s mane has no distinct cap, stem, or pore floor. It has lots of of particular person tooth-like fronds that sprout from a single, hidden basal stump.
As soon as you notice one thing white within the forest, strategy it with warning and study the next traits to ensure it’s a true lion’s mane:
Physique: Lion’s mane first seems as a single globular construction however sprouts a mass of tiny, particular person tooth inside a number of days. As a result of these tooth develop shut collectively, they nonetheless resemble a single mass when seen from afar. The form varies relying on progress circumstances however is often spherical or spherical. Some have a number of bursts of progress and seem as a ball with further protrusions.
Spines: Stand up shut and private to look at the person tooth. They may stand straight out on very younger specimens however droop downward because the mushroom ages. The tooth appear to move collectively in the identical course, often reaching one-third of an inch lengthy. They’re white at prime however grow to be yellow with age.
Flesh: Lion’s mane flesh is pure white, and the construction appears a bit like a cauliflower whenever you lower it open. Although the flesh initially seems stable, you may inform it’s made from a number of mycelial fronds upon shut examination. These are white however could seem barely translucent.
Pore floor: Lion’s mane is technically a polypore like rooster of the woods, however its pore floor just isn’t discernible to the bare eye.
Species Variation
There are two further Hericium species you would possibly run into whereas foraging for lion’s mane. Each have snow-white backbone buildings of some variety and are scrumptious.
H. americanum: Also referred to as bear’s head tooth, this species appears practically an identical to lion’s mane mushroom. Nevertheless, its fruiting physique is usually branched on the basal stump, giving the looks of a number of white bulges reasonably than a smoother spherical form. Its tooth are usually for much longer, and its physique is reasonably lumpy.
H. coralloides: This species is usually referred to as coral tooth fungus due to its exceptional resemblance to onerous, branching coral. Slightly than a single mass of drooping tooth, coral tooth spines separate close to the bottom. They type distinct branches with sharp-looking suggestions that radiate upwards and out.
Texture, Style, and Odor
Many contemplate chanterelle mushrooms probably the most aromatic fungi within the forest, however I encourage to vary. Lion’s mane has a farther attain, and I usually catch a whiff lengthy earlier than I see the precise fungus. It smells fruity, wealthy, and candy.
The flesh is smooth and simple to interrupt aside together with your fingers — I often simply tear it into items when cooking or dehydrating a big flush. The feel is spongy and is derived again whenever you press down on it. As a result of it soaks up a lot water, washing lion’s mane is often a foul concept. When you should wash it, wring it out completely afterward.
As soon as cooked, lion’s mane is delicate and tender with a mildly candy essence. Its texture resembles lobster or scallops, and lots of use lion’s mane as an alternative to seafood in crab muffins and pasta dishes. It soaks up seasonings extremely nicely and can be a wonderful selection for mushroom jerky or stir-fries.
Habitat
Lion’s mane is nothing if not versatile. It has a variety, with species rising all through North America, Europe, and Asia. It’s value noting that the fungus appears to be a lot rarer in Europe than within the US and is taken into account endangered in some locations. Within the UK, it’s protected beneath the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981 and is against the law to forage.
Lion’s mane mushroom could be a saprophytic decomposer that derives sustenance from deadwood, or it may be a parasitic vampire that sucks the life from dwelling timber nonetheless struggling for survival. It grows solely on hardwood timber, preferring beech, maple, and oak.
This mushroom populates old-growth forests the place timber have time to strengthen and develop tall earlier than they rot and die. Nevertheless, fortunate foragers would possibly discover them in solitary tree stands or spot them from the automobile window as they cross by a forest.
Season
Lion’s mane is a scrumptious indication that autumn has arrived. It would seem as early as August in northern states, whereas extra southern climes received’t see it till September or October. It fruits all through the autumn, often starting to indicate extra prolifically after durations of rain.
Regardless of its relative rarity, lion’s mane mushroom is a resilient and frost-resistant fungus. It may well probably fruit all through winter and persist into early spring, so don’t abandon all hope as soon as the snow begins falling. Your honey holes would possibly nonetheless be hotspots!
Progress Habits
Not like reishi mushrooms that final for weeks when absolutely mature, lion’s mane reaches prime in every week or much less and holds for just some days. It doesn’t final very lengthy, so foragers should maintain their eyes peeled and go to recognized honey-holes usually.
The flip aspect is that lion’s mane mushroom usually fruits on the identical tree for years and might often flush a number of instances in a single season. It’s a extremely aggressive species, and there isn’t a lot hope of different shrooms crowding it out.
Can’t appear to seek out lion’s mane in your space? Look to the treetops. This fungus is exclusive as a result of it will possibly develop on any a part of the tree, not simply close to the bottom like most massive polypores. It proliferates excessive in sick branches, particularly the place the tree is wounded.
Lion’s Mane Mushroom ID Guidelines
White fruiting physique
Lengthy hair-like or tooth-like spines
Rising in fall or winter
Rising on hardwood
Candy scent
Rising on deadwood, sick wooden, or tree wounds
Recognizing Frequent Look-Alikes
Along with different members of the Hericium household, lion’s mane mushroom has two widespread look-alikes that might journey you up.
Puffball Species
Sure puffballs can look just like younger lion’s mane. The spiked puffball, or Lycoperdon echinatum, bears a putting resemblance due to its spines, spherical form, and snow-white coloration. Nevertheless, these shrooms often keep tiny, whereas lion’s mane grows massive. You will discover spiked puffballs on the bottom or within the timber, whereas lion’s mane mushroom all the time grows from timber.
Bigger puffballs, just like the sculptured puffball, develop simply as large as lion’s mane. Nevertheless, they often lack distinctive spines resembling Hericium species. When you’re confused, take note of the season. Puffballs seem in early fall and by no means persist into winter previous the primary freezes.
Nonetheless unsure? The feel and flesh will set you straight. Puffballs have stable, pillowy white flesh inside. They’re much spongier and lighter than lion’s mane, and even the textured varieties don’t have the meaty tooth that make H. erinaceus so distinctive.
When you discover it: Harvest and luxuriate in! Puffballs are edible and make a scrumptious addition to a fall foraging basket.
White Coral Mushroom
Also referred to as Clavulina cristata, the white coral fungus grows from downed logs and types distinct branches with crown-like suggestions. It’s white, delicate, and frosty, showing extra like H. coralloides than H. erinaceus, although a novice could also be unable to inform the distinction.
White coral has thinner branches and seems much less substantial than lion’s mane mushroom. Nevertheless, it’s extra inflexible and woodier when dealt with. It lacks a candy scent and even smells barely peppery, although not disagreeable. The massive giveaway with white coral is that it grows primarily on conifers and seems within the late summer season and early fall, whereas lion’s mane grows on hardwoods and favors late fall and winter climate.
When you discover it: Proceed with warning. Whereas white coral is edible, it resembles different nonedible coral fungi and probably poisonous Ramaria species.
Prepared for some fall foraging? It’s time to get exterior! Now that you understand how to determine lion’s mane mushrooms, you’ll be capable of inventory your cold-weather larders with scrumptious fungi for years to come back.
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