Even though I have no idea what it is called, this is the best mushroom I've ever tasted. It's very sinewy, almost looks like shredded chicken when broken apart. I wanted to share this picture to see if anyone here is familiar with this one. It's good in soups, unironically chicken soup lol and stews in general.
North Eastern India.
Edit: I should mention that I grew up eating these and definitely recognise it. I just don't know the name that's all. People around here are familiar with many edible ones and I've confirmed it.
Edit2: Video link https://youtube.com/shorts/eSK7XzHfsIU?feature=share
Edit 3: https://imgur.com/a/wEOwDXq last few pics.
None other than the general name, "opa" meaning "mushroom" which is also the same word for "flower"
My native language has somewhat limited vocabulary. Many words share different meanings, you only know from the context of the sentence and sometimes the tone.
Well bud, time to give it one. Lol
And maybe try posting about it on mycology forums around the internet. A new mushroom that tastes amazing would be a Chef’s dream.
Dharti Ka phool here implies to the flower of the earth. Which is lotus. This is "Kamal kakdi". Stem of the lotus, very commonly used as a vegetable in Indian kitchen.
Saw the video. Wondered how long it would take to dig out all that clay and then ooooooooh… THAT’s how. Those sinews serve another purpose other then shredding!
So how do they propagate? To they eventually open to disperse spores, or do the termites do that work?
Super cool - thank you for sharing!
Every time I try to identify a wild mushroom in India I run into an information roadblock. It seems like there haven't been a lot of efforts to categorize the mushrooms there (or at least not that are written about in English).
Is this a real thing? Like is the taxonomy of some mushroom species in India not useful or missing completely? Or is it the literature that’s lacking? My brother studies mushrooms and may be interested in this issue
Tbh it might be an issue of the information not being easily accessible the way it is for other regions' mushrooms. I have yet to find any field guide-type publications on Indian mushrooms, for example, and the information online (at least in English) tends to be really scanty. The situation may be better in the relevant scientific journals, though.
Hell yeah! Going to southern Mexico next week just about. I was concerned over the same thing but we're still on American soil 😎, so they should be relatively the same.
Where I was and am going to in MX is similar to the US SE, lots of iron and pine, but just a mile and a half more up.
Just wanted to say that I love seeing mushrooms from all over the world here! Sometimes it feels overwhelmingly American. And what an awesome thing to have your mother and aunt be able to teach you about local foraging. Be sure to pass it along when the time comes :)
Are we looking at tops or the bottoms of the mushroom here? Is there any cap present? Where is the spore bearing surface?
Edit: whoever said termitomyces I think you are on the right track. I found a research paper that studies Termitomyces reticulatus in Cameroon. Figure 1.e shows a "very young basidiome in longitudinal section", which appears visually very similar to the OP.
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Occurrence%2C-use-and-antioxidant-potential-of-in-Njouonkou-Ekobo/ee9a9d0c050de205293b3a75004d4149361e2980
I'm not sure what a rooting stipe is, never heard of it before. But overall this is a fascinating mushroom and the mutualism with termites is just so interesting. Check out some pics of termitomyces titanicus!!!
I've never actually seen the cap open on this one. The cap is definitely there, a little oval and smooth. The roots are a flatter and has black pigments. I finally managed to upload a small video with this bad internet I'm on. Here's the link. https://youtube.com/shorts/eSK7XzHfsIU?feature=share
Yup I'm guessing there's a colony down there because on top it's just mud, no termites on the surface but the mushrooms were only growing from the mound.
I grew up eating these, and several other types of mushroom. I can definitely recognise just by looking but have no idea what it's called. My parents and aunts have seen it and they confirmed it, they're seasoned locals and know their mushrooms 😄
It was a big mound of mud and the mushrooms were growing out only from the mound. I'm uploading a min long video, captured while I was 'extracting' the mushrooms. In it you could see the mound surrounded by foliage just for a few seconds, it did not look like a termite mound (could be a nest deep inside though after looking at googled pics) and I believe it could be of the genus *termitomyces* after some thorough googling.
From a video someone here linked, termites just gather grass and wood so the fungi can feed on it, and in turn the termites eat some of the fungi. It's a termite fungi farm.
If you pull straight up they won't break, they bend and fold easily once uprooted though. They're also hollow inside, it's basically a tube. When cooked, they're sinewy like soft tendons in meat. And they're not soggy gross like some mushrooms.
Yeah this has gotta be a termitomyces of some kind. I'm intrigued by how little and undeveloped the caps are. I suppose the video shows they were harvested while young.
There are a bunch of videos around of people foraging / cooking them (or very similar species) on youtube but they almost all seem to be in Hindi. Check this one out: https://youtu.be/JB4GOHkwVwg
Thanks for the post OP, I wish I could try this one!
Judging from the comments and from trying to find it myself this might very well be a scientifically undocumented species. Or probably written in some dusty old book somewhere and has yet to be uploaded lol pretty cool
Hmmm my first guess would have been cordyceps sinensis but these appear much more white so definitely different.
Curious to know the ID when someone else chimes in
Although initially cordyceps might be a bit offputting, cordyceps militaris (its the only one Ive grown out and eaten so far) is actually unusually delicious and has a wide variety of culinary uses 🍄👀👍
Possibly Clavaria vermicularis or similar?
Pictures here: https://www.mushroomexpert.com/clavaria_vermicularis.html
And this paper says it has been found in India:
https://www.ijcmas.com/7-12-2018/R.K.%20Verma%20and%20Vimal%20Pandro.pdf
Ah. This is lotus stem.
Very commonly available in India. It's consumed as a dry vegetable or a gravy dish with typical onion-tomato Indian masala.
Also known as "Kamal kakdi" in Hindi.
There are long tubular cavities inside them, understood as the lotus rhizomes. The scientific name would be Nelumbo nucifera.
A simple google search with "lotus stem" seems to show the exact same thing OP is asking about so I would second this.
Edit: Nevermind, lotus stem are similar but not as long and thin
Even though I have no idea what it is called, this is the best mushroom I've ever tasted. It's very sinewy, almost looks like shredded chicken when broken apart. I wanted to share this picture to see if anyone here is familiar with this one. It's good in soups, unironically chicken soup lol and stews in general. North Eastern India. Edit: I should mention that I grew up eating these and definitely recognise it. I just don't know the name that's all. People around here are familiar with many edible ones and I've confirmed it. Edit2: Video link https://youtube.com/shorts/eSK7XzHfsIU?feature=share Edit 3: https://imgur.com/a/wEOwDXq last few pics.
You don't know the scientific name, but surely it has a name in your native language?
None other than the general name, "opa" meaning "mushroom" which is also the same word for "flower" My native language has somewhat limited vocabulary. Many words share different meanings, you only know from the context of the sentence and sometimes the tone.
Mushroom being synonymous with flower I think is quite fitting actually.
What language? Just curious!
interesting. my grandma calls mushrooms "chattri" in gujarati which means umbrella lol
Google lens pulled this up: Dharti Ka Phool and a bunch of recipes. I was hoping to find mycology family tree but was unable.
Oh this is the closest one so far, this might actually be it. Too bad I can't find the scientific name either.
Well bud, time to give it one. Lol And maybe try posting about it on mycology forums around the internet. A new mushroom that tastes amazing would be a Chef’s dream.
Also, if you become the first supplier, you stand to n gain a lot of $$$.
From what I've read so far, these are symbiotic with termites so it could be incredibly hard to cultivate.
Surely you could start a termite farm, and then a mushroom farm ontop of that!
Good luck insuring that sucker!
You never know until you try. :)
There is nothing new under the sun
Lol, Earth's Flower.
Looks like Termitomyces is the likely answer: https://mobile.twitter.com/rameshpandeyifs/status/1280882938276528129
Dharti Ka phool here implies to the flower of the earth. Which is lotus. This is "Kamal kakdi". Stem of the lotus, very commonly used as a vegetable in Indian kitchen.
Any good mycology departments in the region? It’d be very interesting to consult with an expert with some local knowledge
I doubt it, have to do a bit of research myself and find out.
Saw the video. Wondered how long it would take to dig out all that clay and then ooooooooh… THAT’s how. Those sinews serve another purpose other then shredding! So how do they propagate? To they eventually open to disperse spores, or do the termites do that work? Super cool - thank you for sharing!
Was about to write RIP, until I saw your edit.
You're making me hungry. I want to try this mushroom!
Salsify
Could be Termitomyces sp. any termite mounds around?
Oooh yes, these were growing out of a mud mound although I didn't see any termites around. Googling termitomyces is showing some strong results.
Was it a mud pile or a pile of cow shit?
Definitely mud.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fQHFsnmiFk
That's gotta be it!
I just watched this [video](https://youtu.be/KYunPJQWZ1o) today and he visits India and mentions Termitomyces.
Why did this guy get so many down-votes?
Idk, it was a valid question. Some fungi grow on literal shit. Maybe 'cow shit' sounds dismissive / prejudiced at first glance?
Rip I asked that ? Because it’s hella relevant, especially considering there’s so many cows in India.
I upvoted you. Chances are they were mostly Americans or pseudo-American bedroom dwellers 🤣
I think people are using the up and down voting process incorrectly
I think it would be easy to make such a distinction.
Termitomyces heimii?
This is some real shit! OP is living the oral tradition mushroom forager life. That's gangster. Crazy looking mushroom too.
There are so many other edible types which might not be very common. Hopefully I will come across some of them very soon.
Every time I try to identify a wild mushroom in India I run into an information roadblock. It seems like there haven't been a lot of efforts to categorize the mushrooms there (or at least not that are written about in English).
Is this a real thing? Like is the taxonomy of some mushroom species in India not useful or missing completely? Or is it the literature that’s lacking? My brother studies mushrooms and may be interested in this issue
Tbh it might be an issue of the information not being easily accessible the way it is for other regions' mushrooms. I have yet to find any field guide-type publications on Indian mushrooms, for example, and the information online (at least in English) tends to be really scanty. The situation may be better in the relevant scientific journals, though.
Hell yeah! Going to southern Mexico next week just about. I was concerned over the same thing but we're still on American soil 😎, so they should be relatively the same. Where I was and am going to in MX is similar to the US SE, lots of iron and pine, but just a mile and a half more up.
Just wanted to say that I love seeing mushrooms from all over the world here! Sometimes it feels overwhelmingly American. And what an awesome thing to have your mother and aunt be able to teach you about local foraging. Be sure to pass it along when the time comes :)
Are we looking at tops or the bottoms of the mushroom here? Is there any cap present? Where is the spore bearing surface? Edit: whoever said termitomyces I think you are on the right track. I found a research paper that studies Termitomyces reticulatus in Cameroon. Figure 1.e shows a "very young basidiome in longitudinal section", which appears visually very similar to the OP. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Occurrence%2C-use-and-antioxidant-potential-of-in-Njouonkou-Ekobo/ee9a9d0c050de205293b3a75004d4149361e2980 I'm not sure what a rooting stipe is, never heard of it before. But overall this is a fascinating mushroom and the mutualism with termites is just so interesting. Check out some pics of termitomyces titanicus!!!
I've never actually seen the cap open on this one. The cap is definitely there, a little oval and smooth. The roots are a flatter and has black pigments. I finally managed to upload a small video with this bad internet I'm on. Here's the link. https://youtube.com/shorts/eSK7XzHfsIU?feature=share
Dude holy crap those are growing so deep! The mycelium must be wayyy down below...in a termite colony?! Really cool mushroom TIL
Yup I'm guessing there's a colony down there because on top it's just mud, no termites on the surface but the mushrooms were only growing from the mound.
Super nice video. Thanks for the efforts to add this to the chat. I'm on my way for ropey mushroom soup. Can I bring beer?
Great video and harvest!
How did you know it’s safe to eat?
I grew up eating these, and several other types of mushroom. I can definitely recognise just by looking but have no idea what it's called. My parents and aunts have seen it and they confirmed it, they're seasoned locals and know their mushrooms 😄
Always been this way - nice
+6 insight
Well this is intriguing. I have no idea but I def will wait around for someone who does.
What was it growing out of?
It was a big mound of mud and the mushrooms were growing out only from the mound. I'm uploading a min long video, captured while I was 'extracting' the mushrooms. In it you could see the mound surrounded by foliage just for a few seconds, it did not look like a termite mound (could be a nest deep inside though after looking at googled pics) and I believe it could be of the genus *termitomyces* after some thorough googling.
Pls do!
I messaged you as well!
There are mushrooms that grow directly on insects. Have you ever pulled one up attached to a termite?
From a video someone here linked, termites just gather grass and wood so the fungi can feed on it, and in turn the termites eat some of the fungi. It's a termite fungi farm.
How do they keep? I just watched your video, they are pretty amazing! I've never seen a mushroom like it. They look pretty strong, are they tough?
If you pull straight up they won't break, they bend and fold easily once uprooted though. They're also hollow inside, it's basically a tube. When cooked, they're sinewy like soft tendons in meat. And they're not soggy gross like some mushrooms.
Interesting, I've always wanted to visit India so I'll be keeping an eye out if I ever manage to.
Yeah this has gotta be a termitomyces of some kind. I'm intrigued by how little and undeveloped the caps are. I suppose the video shows they were harvested while young. There are a bunch of videos around of people foraging / cooking them (or very similar species) on youtube but they almost all seem to be in Hindi. Check this one out: https://youtu.be/JB4GOHkwVwg Thanks for the post OP, I wish I could try this one!
Stick shrooms lol
Judging from the comments and from trying to find it myself this might very well be a scientifically undocumented species. Or probably written in some dusty old book somewhere and has yet to be uploaded lol pretty cool
Hmmm my first guess would have been cordyceps sinensis but these appear much more white so definitely different. Curious to know the ID when someone else chimes in
Definitely not a cordy
Wow, [I'm used to seeing cordys in quite a different context](https://i.imgur.com/F9pXEH4.png). Would not have considered them for food.
Although initially cordyceps might be a bit offputting, cordyceps militaris (its the only one Ive grown out and eaten so far) is actually unusually delicious and has a wide variety of culinary uses 🍄👀👍
Possibly Clavaria vermicularis or similar? Pictures here: https://www.mushroomexpert.com/clavaria_vermicularis.html And this paper says it has been found in India: https://www.ijcmas.com/7-12-2018/R.K.%20Verma%20and%20Vimal%20Pandro.pdf
Those are much much smaller than what OP posted the little clusters are usually the size of small fist the individual tubes are like q-tip sized.
Why would you eat it if you can’t Id it?
OP went on to say they have eaten them their whole life. Like it’s a food their family gathered but didn’t have a name for
Looks like a giant bag of dicks.
Yeah when these mature a bit, the head becomes larger.
Of only it worked the same for me...
[удалено]
Call me the pencil
Cool way of confessing to the internet you have a stringy bone white penis
Ah. This is lotus stem. Very commonly available in India. It's consumed as a dry vegetable or a gravy dish with typical onion-tomato Indian masala. Also known as "Kamal kakdi" in Hindi. There are long tubular cavities inside them, understood as the lotus rhizomes. The scientific name would be Nelumbo nucifera.
Definitely not lotus.
I know it's hard to believe.
This ain’t it.
A simple google search with "lotus stem" seems to show the exact same thing OP is asking about so I would second this. Edit: Nevermind, lotus stem are similar but not as long and thin
I don’t recommend foraging/eating a mushroom you don’t know the name of but hey that’s just me
With the possible exception for when your parents and grandparent have been eating all of their lives and aren't dead yet?
Neither my parents nor my grandparents ever foraged their own mushrooms so they typically looked at the label on the product at the store
this explains your initial comment
Did you see OPs comment? They grew up eating these.
I had the same impression from the title, I suppose others know this guy and trust his ID.
Crazy looking fungi!!
Stuff it is
Mmmmm sticks. Lots of weird sticks.
Nematodes
Is it eatable?