Hibiscus syriacus – Rose of Sharon
Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) is an edible type of hibiscus that is native to Asia, but commonly planted in the United States. Rose of Sharon can be identified by its tropical-looking flowers and different shaped, asymmetrical leaves. The entire Rose of Sharon plant is edible. Leaves can be enjoyed spring-fall. The leaves taste similar […]
Rhus typhina – Staghorn sumac
Staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) is a native deciduous tree or shrub in the cashew family. It can be found in sunny areas, along highways, and at the edge of meadows. Staghorn sumac has alternate, compound leaves with serrated edges. The leaves turn scarlet colored in autumn. The plant produces small yellow-green flowers that turn into […]
Nyssa sylvatica – Black tupelo
Black tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica) is a native tree that produces edible fruits in the fall. The tree can live hundreds of years and grow up to 100 feet tall. Black tupelo has alternate, single-lobed leaves that turn bright red in the fall. The branches come off the tree at a 90 degree angle. The tree […]
Apios americana – Groundnuts
Groundnuts (Apios americana) are a native plant in the pea family that can be found in crowded wet areas. It is a climbing, thin-stemmed vine with a 2-year growth cycle. Groundnut leaves have 3-9 toothless leaflets with pointed edges. They produce edible lavender to brown colored flowers. Tubers grow in a rhizome chain a few […]
Monarda fistulosa – Wild Bergamot
Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) is a native edible plant in the mint family. It can be found blooming in sunny areas in mid to late summer. Wild Bergamot has square stems with opposite, toothed leaves. The leaves produce an oregano-like aroma when crushed due to their thymol content. Wild Bergamot leaves, stems, and flowers are […]
Ischnoderma resinosum – Resinous Polypore
The Resinous polypore (Ischnoderma resinosum) is a saprobic fungus that can be found on fallen hardwoods from September until the first hard frost. The resinous polypore is thick and fleshy when young with a pale brown cap and thick white margins. The mushroom toughens and the cap becomes a darker brown with age. The cap […]
Entoloma abortivum – Shrimp of the Woods
Shrimp of the Woods (Entoloma abortivum) is a unique looking mushroom that develops when an Entoloma fungus parasitizes a honey mushroom (Armillaria sp.). Shrimp of the woods can be found from September-November in decaying forest material. Shrimp of the woods have a folded, twisted, brain-like shape with a pink interior. They have no gills. The […]
Hypholoma lateritium – Brick Caps
Brick Caps (Hypholoma lateritium) are edible mushrooms that can be found on hardwood stumps and deadwood from August-November. They can be found throughout the United States but are most common in the Northeast. Brick caps grow in bouquet-like, dense, tight clusters. The cap has a brick red color in the center, fading to a lighter […]
Armillaria gallica – Bulbous Honey Mushroom
The Bulbous Honey Mushroom (Armillaria gallica) is a parasitic and saprobic mushroom that can be found July-November. Honey mushrooms will always be growing on wood, although sometimes the wood is buried. The mushrooms grow in clusters. Cap color varies from yellow to brown. Armillaria gallica tends to have more of a brown cap color, while […]
Clitocybe nuda – Wood Blewits
Wood Blewits (Clitocybe nuda) are edible mushrooms that can be found in compost heaps, wood chips, and leaf litter after heavy rains. The mushrooms can fruit multiple times per season from fall to early winter. Wood Blewits have suede-like caps that are purple when the mushroom is young, turning tan then white as it ages. […]
Pleurotus pulmonarius – Italian Oyster Mushrooms
Italian oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus pulmonarius) are edible oyster mushrooms that grow in New England from summer-fall. These mushrooms tend to be smaller and whiter than the Pearl Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) which prefers cooler weather. Oyster mushrooms are among the most cultivated and consumed edible mushrooms in the world. Oyster mushrooms are identified by their […]
Hypomyces lactifluorum – Lobster Mushrooms
Lobster mushrooms (Hypomyces lactifluorum) are a parasitic mold that takes over a Russula or Lactarius mushroom, turning the mushroom red and improving the texture and taste. The mold most commonly infects Russula brevipes and Lactarius piperatus mushrooms. Lobster mushrooms grow in the ground, near hardwoods or hemlocks. They can be found July-October. Lobster mushrooms can […]
Lycoperdon pratense – Meadow Puffball
The Meadow Puffball (Lycoperdon pratense) is an edible puffball mushroom that can be found in lawns, meadows, and parks. Edible puffball mushrooms lack gills and are pure white inside. The meadow puffball has a stump-like stem, which differentiates it from the also edible Giant puffball (Calvatia gigantea) which lacks a stem. Once the interior […]
Grifola frondosa – Maitake
Maitake (Grifola frondosa) are choice edible and medicinal mushrooms that grow at the base of hardwood trees. 98% of the time they are growing at the base of oak trees. Maitake, also known as Hen of the Woods, can be found fruiting from late August to early November. They have gray or brownish caps and […]
Volvariella bombycina – Silky Sheath Mushroom
The Silky Sheath mushroom (Volvariella bombycina) is a rare, edible mushroom that fruits July-November. The Silky sheath can be found growing on hardwood logs or in wounds of standing hardwood trees. The mushroom grows out of a whitish to brownish cup at the base of the stem. The cap is silky white, yellowing with age. […]
Hericium coralloides – Coral Tooth Fungus
Coral Tooth Fungus (Hericium coralloides) is an edible mushroom that fruits late August to October. It can be found throughout North America and Europe, as well as in India, Russia, China, and Japan. Coral tooth fungus can be found growing on dead or decaying hardwoods, especially oak and beech. It is saprobic and possibly somewhat […]
Russula cyanoxantha – Charcoal Burner
The Charcoal burner (Russula cyanoxantha) is an edible mushroom with a variable cap color. The cap color ranges from red and yellow to violet, blue-gray, and green. The charcoal burner can have mycorrhizal relationships with both conifers and deciduous trees but is most often found under beeches. It fruits summer-fall. The charcoal burner has soft […]
Tylopilus alboater – Black Velvet Bolete
The Black Velvet Bolete (Tylopilus alboater) is an easy-to-identify choice edible mushroom. The mushroom can be found east of the Rocky Mountains and in Eastern Asia. It is mycorrhizal with deciduous trees, particularly oaks. In Connecticut, the mushroom can be found June-October. The black velvet bolete has a dry cap that looks and feels like […]
Leccinum longicurvipes – Curved-stalk Bolete
The Curved-stalk Bolete (Leccinum longicurvipes) is an edible mushroom that can be found in oak forests from July-September. The curved-stalk bolete almost always has a curved stalk. There are pinkish brown scabers, or dark markings, on its stalk. The mushroom has a moist orangish-brown cap. The pore surface is yellowish and doesn’t stain blue. Spore […]
Clitopilus prunulus – Sweetbread mushrooms
Sweetbread mushrooms (Clitopilus prunulus) are edible saprobic mushrooms that can be found summer-fall in North America and Europe. Sweetbreads are named after their scent which is reminiscent of raw pastry dough. Sweetbreads grow solitary to gregariously in open areas of forests. The cap is gray to white, convex when young, flattening with maturity. Gills are […]