There are around 2500 different types of lamellar fungi in Germany. Many of them are inedible or even poisonous, but some are also edible. In this article, we present particularly tasty edible mushrooms with lamellae.
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What are lamellar mushrooms?
Lamellar mushrooms, sometimes also referred to as agarics, belong to the pillar fungi. So they consist of a more or less visible stalk and a cap, on the underside of which are the lamellae that give it their name. Numerous representatives of this group can be found almost everywhere, because they grow in meadows and field edges, in parks and in forests, on the ground and on wood. Many mushroom pickers leave lamellar mushrooms where they are so as not to mistake them for a (deadly) poisonous mushroom. In fact, there are numerous tasty edible mushrooms among them that differ well from their poisonous relatives on the basis of certain characteristics.
Mushrooms
A well-known and popular lamellar mushroom is the button mushroom, which is mainly bought and eaten as a cultivated mushroom in the supermarket. In fact, mushrooms are a genus of their own with some tasty edible mushroom representatives. You can recognize edible species by the typical aniseed smell. If this is missing or if you perceive a “medicine cabinet aroma” instead, it is better to leave the mushroom where it is. Then it is the poisonous carbolic mushroom.
Meadow mushroom (Agaricus campestris)
The tasty meadow mushroom, also known as meadow egerling, grows on moderately fertilized meadows and pastures. This edible mushroom is particularly common on cow pastures, but it is better to wait until the cows are in the barn before collecting them.
- Fruiting body: spherical to hemispherical when young, later like a roof tile
- Flesh: white, constant or faintly reddening
- Cap: white, dry
- Stem: white, ringed, easily detachable
- Lamellae: pink when young, later dark brown
Small forest mushroom (Agaricus silvaticus)
This tasty lamellar fungus can be found mainly under spruce trees, where the small fungi with a hat that is up to ten centimeters wide grow in the needle litter.
- Fruiting body: : spherical to hemispherical when young, later like a roof tile
- Flesh: firm, white, turning reddish when cut
- Hat: light brown, with brownish scales
- Stem: lighter colored than the cap
- Lamellae: pink when young, later dark brown
paint funnels
Varnish fungus are small, mild-tasting edible mushrooms that are unknown to many people and are therefore often left standing. You can find the different species in damp places that are densely covered with leaf or needle litter in deciduous or coniferous forests.
Blue/Purple Blue/Purple Laccaria amethystina
This edible mushroom is easy to recognize due to its striking, consistent purple coloration. If the mushroom is moist, the coloring is very intense. When dry, however, it can appear pale purple to almost white.
- Flesh: violet colored, firm
- Cap: 2 to 6 centimeters wide, flat when young, later convex, wavy
- Stem: slightly fibrous, up to 8 millimeters wide
- Lamellae: Few, widely spaced, also colored throughout
Leaplings
Leistlings are a genus of mushrooms that strictly speaking have no lamellae. Instead, the cap and stem of these species often merge into one another in a funnel shape and are provided with lamellar-like to veined strips that sometimes grow far into the stem. Leistlings are excellent edible mushrooms that are often easy to spot.
True butterfly (Cantharellus cibarius)
Probably the most well-known of all edible mushrooms, this has a large number of regional names that refer to its occurrence or colour: Rehling, for example, or chanterelle. The name chanterelle, on the other hand, comes from its slightly peppery taste. The edible mushroom, which occurs frequently throughout Europe, prefers to grow on acidic soils in sparse coniferous forests, rarely under deciduous trees. The mushroom is easily recognized by its yolk-yellow color, thick, forked ridges, and funnel-like shape.
irritant
The stimulant mushroom, also known as the red-milk milkling, is a noble and tasty lamellar mushroom. There are various species that are widespread in Germany and only occur in coniferous forests. Characteristic of this group is the whitish, reddish or even bluish milk that escapes when cut. All stimulants are edible and taste best fried.
Edel-Reizker (Lactarius deliciosus)
The Latin species name already indicates it: the Edel-Reizker is a very tasty edible mushroom, because the word “deliciosus” means something like “delicious”. This lamellar fungus can only be found near pine trees.
- Colouring: ocher-orange to brick red
- Flesh: firm, hard, milky orange
- Cap: 10 to 20 centimeters wide, wavy bent edge, sticky cap skin, darker base
- Lamellae: pale orange, gradually turning green when injured
- Stem: short and quite thick, distinct dark orange pits
- Odor: fruity
Fuchsia (Lactarius deterrimus)
The frequently occurring Spruce-Reizker is very similar in appearance to the Edel-Reizker, but its milky sap is carrot-red and its color is more orange-red to orange-brown. The lamella mushroom only grows in spruce forests and is edible, but less tasty than the Edel-Reizker.
Giant Umbrellas
The giant parasols are a group of large lamellar fungi with an umbrella-like appearance. Young specimens usually have a spherical cap, which only later spreads out like an umbrella and assumes a flat or convex shape. Often the hat also has a hump. The genus is related to the mushrooms.
Common parasol mushroom (Macrolepiota procera)
The parasol is rightly one of the most popular edible mushrooms. On the one hand it is almost unmistakable, on the other hand it can be prepared in many different ways. Large hats are breaded whole and fried like a schnitzel. The species, which is widespread throughout Europe, grows in deciduous and coniferous forests and can be collected between August and October.
- Cap: 15 to 25 centimeters wide, the center of the cap is hazel and humped, the scales of the cap become smaller towards the edge
- Lamellae: free, white to cream-colored, not attached to the stem
- Stem: conspicuously serpentine, hollow, up to 40 centimeters long, bulbous thickening at the end, movable ring
- Flesh: remains white, firm even when injured
oyster mushrooms
Oyster mushrooms are mushrooms with no to short stalks that grow on the side of the substrate (e.g. on dead wood or a rotten tree trunk). The caps are often ear-shaped and have light-colored fins on the underside. The top of the hat, on the other hand, is smooth and there are no scales. Most types of mushrooms are edible, some – such as the oyster mushroom – are even considered excellent edible mushrooms.
Austernpilz (Pleurotus ostreatus)
This lamellar fungus, also known as oyster mushroom, grows in clusters on weakened coniferous or deciduous wood. In Germany, these cold-loving fungi mainly occur on beech trees. Oyster mushrooms – the taste of which is often compared to that of veal – only grow in the winter months. In summer, on the other hand, you can find the also edible and very similar Mushroom Mushroom (Pleurotus pulmonarius).
Täublinge
Many valuable edible mushrooms can also be found in the extensive genus of russula. This includes around 750 species that are widespread in Germany, which occur in coniferous, deciduous and mixed forests and are indispensable for their existence. Russulas grow large and are often strikingly brightly colored.
Flesh-red russula (Russula vesca)
This popular lamellar mushroom grows in deciduous and coniferous forests and can be collected between June and October.
- Colouring: flesh-colored to pinkish-brown
- Cap: up to 10 centimeters wide, hemispherical when young, later convex, cap skin does not reach to the edge, can be pulled off
- Lamellae: white to cream-colored, narrow and dense, attached to the stem
- Stem: up to 8 cm long, up to 2.5 cm wide, tapering to the base, white
- Flesh: white, firm, turning pink with ferrous sulphate
Green russula (Russula heterophylla)
Also known as purple-grey russula, this lamellar mushroom is also edible. You can find the species between June and October in warm and open locations in copper beech and oak/hornbeam forests.
- Cap: up to 15 centimeters wide, almost spherical when young, later spreading to depressed, cap skin shiny and smooth, mostly in shades of green
- Lamellae: white to cream-colored, narrow and dense, attached to the stem, forked at the base of the stem
- Stem: up to 6 cm long, up to 3 cm wide, firm, mottled at the base with age
- Flesh: white, firm, turns intense pink with iron sulphate
frequently asked Questions
Unfortunately, there is no way to distinguish unknown poisonous mushrooms from edible ones. All you have to do is learn about the different types of mushrooms and their characteristics. Mushrooms eaten by snails and other animals are also no guarantee of harmlessness: What is harmless to molluscs can actually be deadly to humans and vice versa. Only collect mushroom species that you are very familiar with. If in doubt or if you are unfamiliar with mushrooms, ask a certified mushroom consultant.
When raw, all honey fungus species – both common honey fungus and honey honey fungus – are actually poisonous. This lamellar mushroom is only edible if you boil it for at least 20 minutes before eating and then discard the cooking water.
