Edible mushroom species in the wild

There are more than 38,000 known mushroom species in the world, both from the wild and cultivated ones (check this one for edible ones). They are known for medical & nutritional value across the globe. However, among them, 50% are inedible because they can be hard or tough to chew or wood-like shelf, 25% of them are edible but doesn't taste great or tasteless, only 4% has excellent taste, 20% will get you sick (you will throw up eating them, feeling dizzy and diarrhea), and 1% can kill you. In other words, about 2,000 species of mushrooms are considered safe for human consumption and about 650 of them possess medicinal properties.

Melaleuca mushroom, grow only at Melaleuca forest, The taste is bitter when you drink water after meal

Among those known edible species, such as Agaricus bisporus (white cotton mushroom), Lentinus edodes (Shiitake mushroom), Flammulna velutipis (Enoki, also known as velvet shank), Auricularia polytricha (Cloud ear fungus), etc., Rice straw mushroom (RSM) is one of the most common mushrooms cultivated and ranks third among important mushrooms due to its delicious taste, as well as its short time for product collection compared to other species. In terms of production, RSM ranks sixth among edible mushrooms, accounting for about 5–6% of world production.

The general nutrition of the mushroom

• High content of proteins,
• Vitamins,
• Minerals,
• Fibers,
• Trace elements and low/no calories and cholesterol.

How do you use mushroom?

• The way to cook: making them into soup, or stir-fry
• Use them as pickle
• Some needs to be boiled first, before you can use.
• Some kinds for medical purpose, need to soak in wine or make into powder and consume like medicines.

How to check if they are poisonous mushroom: from Cambodian plant experts, they suggested to check 3 important elements to know whether the mushroom is poisonous:

1. They have spot or dot signs on top of the cap
2. They have ring /annulus
3. They have jelly substance in the volva base or bulb
4. If the gills open, check their shape whether they have rectangular shape

Below are names of mushroom collected seasonally from the wild (May) and some are commercially cultivated mushroom.

Mushroom collected seasonally from the wild:

N#	Names of mushroom	English / Scientific names	Remarks
1	ផ្សិតប៉ក់/ផូងផាង	Astraeus hygrometricus, Barometer Earthstars, Hygroscopic Earthstar, False Earthstar,	Expensive &yummy
2	ផ្សិតក្ងោក	Peacock mushroom	A video of mushroom collection is here
3	ផ្សតិធ្យូង	The Charcoal Burner
4	ផ្សិតចំបើង	Rice-Straw Mushroom / Straw mushroom
5	ផ្សិតស្មាច់	Melaleuca mushroom
6	ផ្សិត​អាកា​ស្យា​	Acacia mushroom
7	ផ្សិត​ដំបូក
8	ផ្សិតកញ្ចូរ	Maitake mushroom
9	ផ្សិតក្រមួន	Crab brittlegill or the shrimp mushroom or The Slippery Jack mushroom
10	ផ្សិតក្រាមរមាស	King Oyster
11	ផ្សិតត្រចៀកកណ្ដុរ	Jelly Ear / Wood Ear mushrooms Cloud Ear, Tree Ear, Black fungus
12	ផ្សិតត្រចៀកកណ្តុរស	Snow Fungus , White Jelly Mushroom .
13	ផ្សិតប្រចាក់
14	ផ្សិតពពេល (ផ្សិតកញ្ជោ, ផ្សិតក្តា, ផ្សិតក្ងោក, ផ្សិតពពេល, ផ្សិតក្តលោក, ផ្សិតក្តិតយាយជី,​ ផ្សិតត្រសេក)
15	ផ្សិតរងា	Kind of mushroom grows on the tree
16	ផ្សិតសុក្រំ/សុក្រម (លិញជឺ)	Ganoderma lucidum​/ Lingzhi, Ganoderma lingzhi, Reishi / Lingzhi mushroom	Medical fungi
17	ផ្សិត (ផ្ចឹក)	Kind of mushroom grows on the tree
18	ផ្សិត​ខ្សាច់,	Sand like mushroom
19	ផ្សិត​ចុង​អង្ករ,	Mushroom grow from rice
20	ផ្សិត​ចេក/ ផ្សិតឈូក,	Pink mushroom
21	ផ្សិត​សណ្ដែក,	Peas mushroom
22	ផ្សិត​ឫស្សី /​ផ្សិត​ពស់វែក និង​អ្នកខ្លះ​ទៀត​ហៅ​ថា​ផ្សិត​លីង​ជឺ	The bamboo mushroom
23	ផ្សិត​ក្រកោះ	Kind of mushroom grows on the tree
24	ផ្សិត​ត្រាច	Kind of mushroom grows on the tree
25	ផ្សិត​ក្បាល​ថ្លែន (ពុល)	Reptile like mushroom	Make you sick A video to check poisionous one is here.
26	ផ្សិត​ពពារ​នាគ​រាជ	Snake tongue a like mushroom
27	ផ្សិតព្រៃ​ហូប​បាន​ផ្សេង​ទៀត	Portobello Mushroom (Agaricus bisporus)

 

Besides the wild mushroom, there are commercially cultivated mushroom to supply the market in Cambodia

Commercially cultivated mushrooms

N#	Names of mushroom	English / Scientific names	Remarks
1	ផ្សិតភ្លៅមាន់ /ផ្សិតក្រាមរមាស	Pleurotus eryngii (also known as king trumpet mushroom, French horn mushroom, king oyster mushroom, king brown mushroom, boletus of the steppes, trumpet ..
2	ផ្សិតម្ជុល	Enoki
3	ផ្សិតអំបោះ	Shiitake mushroom
4	ផ្សិតខ្យង	Chanterelles
5	ផ្សិតចំបើង	Rice-Straw Mushroom/ hay mushroom
6		White Button Mushroom

 

From left to right: (1st row) Peacock mushroom, Maitake mushroom . 2nd row: Rice straw mushroom, King OysterFrom left to right: (1st row) The slippery jack mushroom, Bamboo mushroom, 2nd row: Jelly ear mushroom and the Charcoal Burner mushroomPeacock mushroom grows in mangrove forest areas of Siem Reap. Were so lucky to see them. They have to know the area to spot them.

 

ផ្សិតក្ងោក Peacock mushroom - grows naturally in the wild in collected in May

Peacock's mushroom

I am not the plant expert but I have consulted with numerous document and used my general knowledge from older people to combine this together. I hope this would be knowledge to get to know a bit of mushroom from Cambodian wild.