One of the most popular mushrooms in our forests is the boletus, which is why many people have a childhood stereotype that an edible mushroom must be brown. In reality, of course, this isn't always the case: not all edible mushrooms have brown caps or stems, and not all mushrooms of this color are edible.
The variety of brown fruits in our forests can make it difficult for an inexperienced mushroom picker to distinguish edible mushrooms from poisonous ones, so when heading into the forest, it's worth carefully studying the species of this color that bear fruit in the chosen area.
Edible brown mushrooms with descriptions and photos
There are many edible varieties of brown mushrooms. The most popular are distinguished by their excellent taste.
Oak mushroom with a brown cap and stem
It has a cap-stem structure. It has a dark-colored, brown, spherical cap, reaching up to 20 centimeters in size, and a barrel-shaped, brownish or white-yellow stem. A characteristic feature is its reaction to injury or pressure: the affected area turns blue, then brown, resembling a bruise.
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The boletus belongs to the genus Boletus, does not have a pronounced smell or taste, and has a second category of nutritional value.
Edible species of oak boletus:
- Speckled. It has a dark cap and a light yellow stem with red speckles. The flesh is firm, changing from beige to blue when cut, but the color returns when cooked. It is rarely affected by worms;
- kele. Conditionally edible, with a brown-yellow cap and a stem widened towards the base with visible white mycelium;
- Olive-brown (common). The convex, twelve-centimeter cap is olive-brown. The base of the stem is reddish with blotches (this area will also be red when cut), and turns yellow along the entire length.
Boletus mushroom
The boletus mushroom belongs to the Boletaceae family. It often chooses mosses as its habitat, hence its name. The cap, depending on the species, ranges in diameter from 4 to 20 cm. Its semicircular shape with straight edges flattens over time. The skin also varies.
It can be velvety, naked, or sticky. But in all varieties, it is inseparable from the flesh. The color range ranges from various shades of yellow to brown and reddish-brown tones.
The hymenophore is tubular and darkens when pressed. The stem is cylindrical and lighter in color than the cap. When cut, the flesh turns blue. This is how the boletus protects itself from damage by creating a barrier film. Boletus mushrooms are not poisonous, but they have poisonous lookalikes, which are important to avoid confusing.
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Of the edible mushrooms, the most popular is the Polish mushroom shown in the photo, which, in terms of its taste and distinct aroma, is comparable to the white boletus.
Butterlets
Butter mushrooms belong to the Oleaceae family and get their name from the thin, moist, sticky skin on their caps, which separates easily from the flesh. The fruiting body is medium-sized, with a maximum cap diameter of 15 cm. When young, the shape resembles a hemisphere, but it straightens out as it matures.
The color varies from yellow to brown, and depends not only on the species of boletus but also on the lighting in the forest. The flesh is white, dense, prone to worms, and ages quickly, darkening and losing its firmness within a week.
Honey mushrooms
Honey mushrooms grow in large ring-shaped clusters, hence their name. They are easily recognizable by their long stems and small, round caps. They can range in color from light yellow to brown.
Among the wide variety of honey mushrooms, there are 4 main types:
- Summer. Grows in large colonies. The brown cap has a light center. Grows on damaged trees. It has a pleasant flavor, so it is grown in large quantities for sale;
- Meadow. They grow in rows in the shape of an arc. The cap is yellow with a light edge;
- Autumn. This species has brown hues. The cap is up to 10 cm, making it a large mushroom; under favorable conditions, it can reach 17 cm. There is a ring under the cap;
- Winter. They bear fruit from spring to fall. They can even be found under snow. They grow on damaged trees, especially poplars and willows. The yellow-brown cap reaches up to 10 cm in diameter and has no ring underneath.
Dark chestnut pezza
When young, the peciza has the shape of a bubble, but as it gets older, it opens up into a cup with a wavy edge, and then a saucer.
The mushroom is about 10 cm in size. It is brown in color and has a smooth surface. The fragile flesh has little nutritional value, as it has virtually no taste or smell. The peziza cannot be confused with any poisonous mushroom, so you can pick this specimen safely.
You may be interested in:Brown-capped boletus
Boletus mushrooms are common throughout the world. They are large mushrooms with a velvety brown cap and a light-brown stem that widens toward the bottom. When cut, the flesh turns blue; in rare cases, it remains white or turns red.
There are over 300 species of boletus, including some considered delicacies. For example, the porcini mushroom, which is rightfully called the "Tsar's Mushroom."
The white boletus gets its name from its snow-white flesh, which remains so even after heat treatment or drying. The chestnut-colored cap of the fruiting body grows up to 30 cm, but under favorable climate conditions it can reach up to half a meter. The skin is velvety and difficult to separate from the flesh. The stem is barrel-shaped, widening toward the bottom.
You may be interested in:Where brown mushrooms grow
The distribution of a mushroom depends on its species. Many brown mushrooms can be found throughout the globe, except in permafrost regions. For example, boletus, oak boletus, peciza, and honey mushrooms grow in all temperate regions of Europe, Asia, and America. These mushrooms grow in coniferous, deciduous, and mixed forests. Depending on the species, they grow in groups or singly and can form mycorrhiza with certain trees.
Butter mushrooms are found primarily at forest edges or margins in the Northern Hemisphere. Boletus mushrooms are found in temperate latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere and Australia. Honey mushrooms grow on stumps or trees. Boletus and oak mushrooms grow in dense deciduous or coniferous forests.
Distinction from false, inedible mushrooms
When heading into the forest to pick brown mushrooms, it's worth familiarizing yourself with the poisonous lookalikes that might accidentally end up in your basket.
Poisonous:
- Satanic. It's not very common, but just 1 gram of pulp is very dangerous, and the toxicity persists even after prolonged cooking. The rounded cap can reach up to 30 cm by the end of fruiting and change shape to a spreading shape. The color ranges from white to olive. The stem is massive and spherical. When young, they have no distinctive odor, but when overripe, they acquire an unpleasant, putrid aroma. When cut, they turn blue, but can also turn red.
Satanic mushroom - The sulfur-yellow honey fungus grows in large clumps. Its color resembles that of the edible variety. The cap is bell-shaped, opening over time. The flesh is bitter and has an unpleasant odor. Symptoms of poisoning begin within an hour of consumption.
Sulphur-yellow honey fungus - Galerina marginata. It's easily confused with the summer honey fungus, especially for inexperienced mushroom pickers. It has no unpleasant odor; it's either vague or mealy. It grows in coniferous forests, where summer honey fungus typically doesn't grow. Galerina's poison is very dangerous, similar to that of the death cap.
Galerina marginata - The boletus is a beautiful mushroom. It can cause poisoning, but is not fatal. The hemispherical cap reaches 25 cm in diameter. The color ranges from reddish to brown. When cut, the flesh turns blue.
Beautiful boletus - The light-ochre cobwebcap. This poisonous specimen can be confused with a young porcini mushroom. The difference lies in the hymenophore. The cobwebcap's is lamellar.
Cortinaria ochracea
Besides the poisonous ones, there are also brown inedible look-alikes:
- Parasitic boletus. Unlike edible boletus mushrooms, this mushroom has a smaller cap and grows on other fruiting bodies rather than moss.
Parasitic flywheel - Gall and pepper mushrooms. Easily distinguished by their cut. Fresh ones have pinkish or brownish flesh, which later turns red.
Gall mushroom - Chestnut (chestnut tree). It has a reddish-brown cap that splits during dry, hot periods. The cut surface remains yellow and unaffected.
Chestnut mushroom - The false honey fungus is watery. It has a similar coloring to the summer honey fungus. The cap's color depends on humidity and ranges from dark brown to cream. The stem has a white coating and a ring at the top. It grows on stumps in deciduous and coniferous forests.
False honey fungus
Answers to frequently asked questions
Brown mushrooms peak in summer and fall. They can be found in both coniferous and deciduous forests. When picking, carefully examine each mushroom before adding it to your basket. If you're unsure of the correct species, it's best to leave it in the forest, as there's a risk of adding a poisonous mushroom to your basket. Remember that even one toxic mushroom in your entire harvest can cause severe poisoning.
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