Reishi Mushrooms

Scientific Name(s): Ganoderma curtisii, Ganoderma sessile
Abundance: rare
What: mushroom
How: tea, tincture
Where: woods, pine stumps, oak trees, wood duff
When: spring, summer, fall
Nutritional Value: very medicinal
Dangers: normal mushroom cautions apply

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Ganoderma curtisii Structural Features:

Growth Form: Ganoderma curtisii typically grows as a solitary bracket or in small groups on tree trunks and stumps.

Cap Shape and Size: The cap is kidney or fan-shaped, measuring 2 to 8 inches across. It has a woody texture and is brown to reddish-brown with a varnished appearance.

Gills or Pores: This species has pores rather than gills. The pore surface is white to light brown.

Stipe Characteristics: If present, the stipe is short and lateral, with a similar color and texture to the cap.

Odor: Ganoderma curtisii typically does not have a distinctive odor.

Bruising: The flesh does not change color significantly on bruising.

Spore Color: The spore print is brown.

Substrate and Habitat: Commonly found on hardwoods, especially oaks and other deciduous trees.

Other Characteristics: The mushroom is inedible due to its tough, woody texture.

Ganoderma sessile Structural Features:

Growth Form: Ganoderma sessile typically grows solitarily or in small groups on tree trunks and stumps.

Cap Shape and Size: The cap is fan or hoof-shaped, measuring 2 to 10 inches across. It is reddish-brown to dark brown with a shiny, varnished surface.

Gills or Pores: This species has pores instead of gills. The pore surface is white to light brown.

Stipe Characteristics: Ganoderma sessile typically does not have a distinct stipe, as it grows directly from the wood.

Odor: This fungus usually does not have a notable odor.

Bruising: The flesh does not change color significantly on bruising.

Spore Color: The spore print is brown.

Substrate and Habitat: Commonly found on deciduous trees, particularly oaks and maples.

Other Characteristics: It is also recognized for its tough, woody texture, making it inedible.  

Perfect example of a 6" across Ganoderma sessile ready for harvest, after rising off its light brown spores.

Another Ganoderma sessile still covered in its brown, reproductive spores.

Older Reishi (Ganoderma sessile) mushrooms growing from an oak.


Reishi (Ganoderma sessile) mushrooms growing on a fallen tree.


Fresh topside of a Reishi (Ganoderma curtisii) mushroom. The stem, if present, is always off-center making it look kind of like the saucer-section of the starship Enterprise. ;-)


Underside of the same mushroom shown above. Note it has pores instead of gills.


Reishi (Ganoderma curtisii) mushrooms harvested from a dead root beneath the forest floor. These are just past the time to harvest and will not have much medicinal value. The lower, left-hand mushroom is upside down to show the bottom which has turned from white to yellowish.


Young Reishi (Ganoderma curtisii) growing on an oak tree stump under a birdbath (March in Houston).


Same Reishi in early April.


Same Reishi in late April.


Same Reishi in May. The beige powder everywhere is Reishi mushroom spores.


Same Reishi (Ganoderma curtisii) mushrooms in June.



The only public lands you can legally harvest mushrooms are National forests and grasslands.

Reishi mushrooms abound throughout the wooded areas of Texas. Most commonly found growing at the base of dead pine tree stumps, they will also be seen poking up through the pine needles and wood duff of forest floors. Dying hardwood trees such as oaks, sweetgums, elms and locusts are also common homes for these shiny, red mushrooms. Spores of Reishi are brown so make spore prints on white paper. These are hard, woody mushrooms. Originally from the tropics, look for them during hot weather though old, dry, unusable ones can be found all year long.

Being polypores, these mushrooms do not have any gills on their underside. Instead, the bottom of fresh Reishi mushrooms will appear white and smooth, but upon closer inspection/magnification many tiny holes/pores will be seen. This mushroom, especially when growing from the forest floor, will often be kidney-shaped with the stem located at the center of the back/non-curved edge of the mushroom. When growing directly from a dead/dying tree Reishi mushrooms will grow flush off the tree bark and be fan shaped, usually with no stem. The topside of Reishi while be a shiny red, looking as if it were coated with a varnish, while the bottom will be white. There may occasionally be layers of red or white in between the top and bottom. The stems, when present, will be the same red as the top of the Reishi.

The medicinal benefits of this mushroom are almost legendary. It contains compounds that function as anti-virals, anti-tumor and anti-cancer, antibiotics, immune system stimulants, respiratory aids, antioxidants, anti-aging and more. The traditional method to consume these mushrooms is to grind dried Reishi into a fine powder which is then used to make a tea or added to coffee. Once dried, these mushrooms are very tough and hard to grind so a good mortar and pestle are needed or a very powerful coffee grinder.

Another way to extract the medicinal properties of these mushrooms is by making an alcohol tincture. Shredded Reishi are soaked in 80-100 proof alcohol. Half-fill a jar with chopped/shredded Reishi then add enough alcohol to fill it twice as high as the Reishi. Tightly cap then vigorously shake the bottle. Shake it 1-2 times a day for six weeks then strain out any mushrooms solids. Place the filtered tincture in a colored, stoppered bottle and store in a cool, dark place. Traditionally, 1-2 teaspoons of this tincture would be taken daily, though do not consider this medical advice.

Often the alcohol-extracted mushroom material was then be boiled in water to extract any water-soluble medicinal molecules. Starting with twice as much water (by weight) as mushrooms, this was boiled down to half. The decoction was allowed to cool, solids were strained out, and then added to an equal amount of the alcohol tincture. This gave a solution that was over 40% alcohol which was enough to preserve it. The dosage of this solution was still 3-5 drops a day.

A comprehensive review of the medicinal properties, including many scientific journal referneces, of Reishi mushrooms can found in MycoMedicinals.

The only mimic to Reishi mushrooms are Red-Belted Brackets (Fomitopsis pinicola) which are native to Europe. Being polypores, Red-Belted Brackets are non-toxic though care should always be used when trying a new mushroom. These mushrooms produce yellow spores and grow into thick, many-layered "conks".

When identifying mushrooms always cross reference them with several books to achieve the proper level of certainty. I'm not trying to sell you books, I'm trying to help you avoid a mistake.


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Nutsedge

Scientific name: Cyperaceae spp.
Abundance: plentiful
What: tubers, seeds
How: tubers and seeds can be eaten raw or cooked
Where: fields, lawns, marshes, woods, water
When: summer
Nutritional Value: seeds contain protein and carbohydrates, tubers contain starch
Dangers: Thoroughly wash any plants collected from water to remove harmful bacteria.

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are arranged in a basal rosette pattern, emerging from the base of the plant.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are long, linear, and grass-like, typically measuring about 4 to 10 inches in length and 0.1 to 0.3 inches in width.

Leaf Venation: The venation is parallel, typical of grass-like plants.

Leaf Margin: The margins of the leaves are smooth (entire).

Leaf Color: The leaves are a bright green color.

Flower Structure: The flowers are small and clustered in umbrella-like inflorescences at the end of triangular stems.

Flower Color: The flowers are usually brownish or greenish.

Fruit: The plant produces small, round tubers at the ends of its roots, which are the "chufas" or "tiger nuts."

Seed: Seeds are not typically harvested or noted as a significant feature of this plant.

Stem: The stems are triangular in cross-section and erect. Corners of the triangle may be rounded to very sharp.

Hairs: There are no significant hairs on the leaves or stems.

Height: nutsedge typically grows to a height of about 1 to 3 feet.

One type of nutsedge.


Another type of nutsedge.


"Sedges Have Edges" meaning all nutsedges have triangular stalks.


Nutsedge seeds shaken from head of plant.


Nutsedge "nut" attached to root.


More nutsedge nuts.



Texas distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture. The marked counties are guidelines only. Plants may appear in other counties, especially if used in landscaping.


North American distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture.


Sticking up like small palm trees, thick clusters of nutsedges spot the landscape...usually infuriating the landowner. They can range in size from just a few inches tall and as thin as a pencil lead to multiple feet high with stalks thicker than a pencil. All varieties have several things in common: sedges have edges meaning the stalks are always triangular with some being rounded and others have very sharp corners, the stalks are bare of leaves until the very top which makes me think they look like palm trees. They are almost impossible to eradicate from an area. Their habitats range from cracks in parking lots to yards and fields to into shallow water. Once they mature seed clusters will form on short stalks among the leaves at the top of the sedge in a bunch of different shapes.

Nutsedges were originals cultivated in ancient times as both a food and a source of fiber for paper (papyrus). Along with seeds at the top of the plant there are deposits of starch in pea-sized tubers along the roots. These must be carefully dug out of the ground as the "nuts" will tear away from the roots and remain in the ground if the nutsedge is pulled from the soil. Loose, sandy soil will have a large crop of these root nuts while heavy clay soils will have very few. They can be eaten raw or toasted.

The best "nuts" come from the Chufa Nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus var. sativus) which came originally from Africa but quickly spread through North America. Part of this spread is due to deer and turkeys loving these underground nuts and so one can buy bags of Chufa at larger hunting supply stores. Do not eat the purchased nuts as they may have been treated with a surface fungicide. These nuts are meant to be planted in late fall or early spring to grow a crop for the animals to eat starting in late summer.

Chufa nuts are also used to make the drink "Horchata de Chufa" by soaking the ground nuts in water the adding sugar and cinnamon. This is similar to almond milk.


Buy my book! Outdoor Adventure Guides Foraging covers 70 of North America's tastiest and easy to find wild edibles shown with the same big pictures as here on the Foraging Texas website.

Pineapple Weed

Scientific Name(s): Matricaria discoidea
Abundance: uncommon
What: flowers, leaves
How: raw, tea
Where: dry, abused soil such as dirt roads
When: spring, summer, fall
Nutritional Value: minimal

Medicinal Summary: sedative (tisane)

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are arranged alternately along the stem.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are finely divided, feathery, and almost fern-like, typically measuring about 1 to 3 inches in length.

Leaf Venation: The venation is not distinctly visible due to the finely divided nature of the leaves.

Leaf Margin: The margins of the individual leaf segments are entire or slightly toothed.

Leaf Color: The leaves are a bright green color.

Flower Structure: The flowers are small, clustered in dense, flat-topped heads. Each head resembles a single flower but is composed of numerous tiny florets.

Flower Color: The florets are yellowish-green, lacking the white petals typical of many other daisy family members.

Fruit: The plant produces a small, dry, one-seeded fruit known as an achene.

Seed: The seeds are tiny, ridged, and brown.

Stem: The stem is erect, branched, and can be smooth or slightly hairy.

Hairs: There may be fine hairs present on the stem and leaves.

Height: Matricaria discoidea typically grows to a height of 6 to 18 inches.

Pineapple weeds.


Whole pineapple weed plant.


Closeup of pineapple weed yellowish-green flowers.


Pineapple weed is an amazing plant which seems to thrive in abused soil such as dirt roads, driveways, and other dry/sandy soil. A very delicious and calming tea similar to chamomile can be made from the plant.

The crushed plant can be rubbed on exposed skin as a weak insect repellent.

USDA does not have records of this plant appearing Texas but it can be grown here from seeds.

North American distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture.




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Plantain

Scientific name: Plantago species
Abundance: plentiful
What: leaves, young seed pods
How: raw, steamed
Where: Sunny fields, urban yards
When: Spring
Nutritional Value: minerals, vitamin B
Other uses: Rub mashed leaves on insect bites to relieve pain/itching

Medicinal Summary:
Leaves - demulcent; antimicrobial; anti-inflammatory; wound healer; soothes skin, gastrointestinal tract, and urinary tract inflammations (poultice, infused oil)

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves of Plantago are typically arranged in a basal rosette, emerging directly from the base of the plant.

Leaf Shape: The leaf shape varies among species, ranging from broad and ovate to long and narrow (lanceolate).

Leaf Venation: The venation is parallel, with several prominent veins running the length of the leaf.

Leaf Margin: The margins are generally entire (smooth) but can be slightly wavy or toothed in some species.

Leaf Color: The leaves are usually green, though the exact shade can vary from light to dark green.

Flower Structure: The flowers are small and borne on a spike that emerges from the rosette. The flower spike is often tall and slender.

Flower Color: Flower colors vary but are often greenish, white, or brownish.

Fruit: The fruit is a small capsule containing several seeds.

Seed: The seeds are tiny, often angular or oval, and brown.

Stem: In Plantago species, the flower spike serves as the stem, which is generally leafless and may vary in height.

Hairs: Some species have fine hairs on the leaves and stems, while others are smooth.

Height: The height of plantain plants can vary significantly, with some species being quite low to the ground and others having tall flower spikes.

Redseed Plantain (Plantago rhodosperma)






Close-up of plantain leaf.




Really big plantains, probably Plantago virginica.




Plantago lanceolate


Close up of Plantago lanceolate flower/seed stalk.


Even closer-up picture of Plantago lanceolate flower/seed head.


Out in West Texas look for Woolly Indian wheat plantain (Plantago patagonica).






Texas distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture. The marked counties are guidelines only. Plants may appear in other counties, especially if used in landscaping.


North American distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture.


Popping up in winter, plantain rosettes range from almost unnoticeable to quite large in size. The club-shaped leaves may have points along the edge and hairs. Look for it in yards, disturbed areas, and abandoned places receiving lots of winter/spring sun. One of the easiest ways to identify them is that their vein structure is "palmate" which means it has several thick veins running parallel from the base of the leaf to the end, kind of like fingers sticking up from the palm of a hand.

The young leaves have a mild "green" flavor but as they mature I personally find them too rough and stiff to be eaten raw. Cooking the older leaves makes them more tender. Juicing the leaves is a better way of using the mature plant to get their mineral and vitamins.

Plantains produce a cluster of seeds resembling a tiny ear of corn on a long stalk. When the seedhead is still young it can be eaten raw or used like tiny baby corn in a stirfry. As they get older these seedheads also get tough and are rarely eaten.

Medicinally, plantain poultices are the "go to" plant for skin issues such as scrapes, minor rashes, insect stings & bites, and minor burns. Plantain tea is very good at soothing sore throats, acid reflux, and ulcers as well as helping coughs be more effective at expelling "lung cheese". As I type this there's a bunch of plantain leaves hanging from the light fixture, drying. They'll be infused into olive oil along with comfrey to make an amazing, healing skin salve.

Supposedly smoking dried plantain leaves reduces the urge to smoke tobacco but this effect has not been confirmed.


Buy my book! Idiots Guide Foraging covers 70 of North America's tastiest and easy to find wild edibles shown with the same big pictures as here on the Foraging Texas website.

Buy my book! Outdoor Adventure Guides Foraging covers 70 of North America's tastiest and easy to find wild edibles shown with the same big pictures as here on the Foraging Texas website.

Prickly Lettuce

Scientific Name(s): Lactuca serriola
Abundance: common
What: young leaves, unopened flower buds
How: leaves in salad or cooked
Where: woods, fields, yards
When: spring, summer
Nutritional Value: Vitamins A, B, minerals
Dangers: excess consumption of leaves and sap can lead to stomach upset, seeds contain some varnish oils.

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are arranged alternately along the stem.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are oblong to lanceolate, with a unique feature of often having a slightly twisted or curled appearance. They typically measure about 2 to 8 inches in length and 0.5 to 2.5 inches in width.

Leaf Venation: The venation is pinnate, with a central vein and smaller veins extending towards the leaf edges.

Leaf Margin: The margins are irregularly toothed and can have small spines or prickles.

Leaf Color: The leaves are green, sometimes with a hint of blue or gray, and often have a white or light green midrib.

Flower Structure: The flowers are small and borne in clusters in a branching inflorescence. Each flower is about 0.5 inches in diameter.

Flower Color: The flowers are yellow.

Fruit: The plant produces a small, beaked achene (a type of fruit).

Seed: The seeds are tiny, brown, and attached to a pappus, which helps in wind dispersal.

Stem: The stem is erect, can be branched, and grows up to 3 to 6 feet tall. It may have spines along the midrib on the underside of the leaves. Color ranges from reddish to green.

Hairs: There are no significant hairs on the leaves or stems, but the presence of spines or prickles along the rib on the underside of the rib is notable.

Height: Lactuca serriola typically reaches a height of 3 to 6 feet.

Young plant.


Mature prickly lettuce. They can actually get over six feet tall in prime growing locations.


Closeup of prickly lettuce flower buds.


Spines along main vein on bottom of leaf.




Texas distribution, attributed to U.S. Department of Agriculture. The marked counties are guidelines only. Plants may appear in other counties, especially if used in landscaping.


North American distribution, attributed to U.S. Department of Agriculture.


Growing thick and upright in diverse places such as sidewalk cracks to the woods, young prickly lettuce leaves is a fine salad green when used in moderation, though still somewhat bitter. The spines of this plant are fairly soft and edible raw when the leaves are young. As the plant matures it increases in bitterness, becoming inedible by the time it produces flowers. The white, milky sap contains a small amount of the narcotic chemical lactucarium, which has sedative and pain-relieving powers.

I find the young, unopened flower buds to be a good, raw nibble. These unopened flower buds lack a lot of the bitterness found in other members of this family. The youngest leaves are a good addition to salads but they need to be "diluted" with less bitter greens.


Buy my book! Outdoor Adventure Guides Foraging covers 70 of North America's tastiest and easy to find wild edibles shown with the same big pictures as here on the Foraging Texas website.