American blusher
Amanita novinupta is a western North American blusher, a forest mushroom recorded as food in Mexico, and one that must be cooked because its raw flesh is toxic.
Mushrooms
Smooth sawgill
A wood-decay gilled fungus of subtropical and tropical North America, recorded as food in Mexico. It is edible when young but tough, and it can be grown as a saprotroph.
What the fungus is
Lentinus levis is a gilled fungus that grows on dead wood. It is known by several older names, among them Panus levis, Pleurotus levis and Panus strigosus, which the sources treat as synonyms of the same species. The epithet is related to the Latin lentus, meaning pliable and tenacious, which the sources read as a hint at its chewy texture.
The species is found in subtropical to tropical North America. In Texas it typically fruits from April to October, with its peak in May and June.
Sources for this section
Food use
The Wixarika (Huichol) people of Mexico recognise the mushroom and sometimes gather it for food, but they are reported to prefer other, less chewy species. The Fermentea catalogue records it as a wild food with Mexican food-use evidence.
Sources agree that the species is edible but not prized. One describes it as edible when young but tough, and another as reported to be edible but tough. Its texture is the main limit on its use.
Sources for this section
Cultivation
The species can be cultivated as a saprotroph on wood or similar substrates, and a 1997 study on cultivating it in Mexico is cited by the Wikipedia article. That paper was not read directly for this page, so the cultivation detail rests on that citation alone.
The sources give no yield, substrate recipe or fruiting schedule for cultivation.
Sources for this section
Safety and identification
Lentinus levis is listed in the sources as edible, with a note on toughness rather than toxicity. This page does not identify a specimen. Gilled wood-decay fungi share features with other species, and wild mushrooms should be identified by a specialist before any are eaten.
Do not eat a wild mushroom on the strength of a name, a catalogue entry or a photograph.
Sources for this section
Places
Mexico
Documented use · Country evidenceCountry-level food-use record for the Wixarika (Huichol) people; no locality is given.
Subtropical and tropical North America
Traditional use · Region evidenceDistribution of the species, not a food tradition in every part of the range.
Related
More from Mexico
Avocado (ripe flesh)
Ripe avocado flesh is the soft, buttery, fat-rich pulp of Persea americana, eaten raw. It is low in acid, so it is a fresh ingredient that needs care in chilled dishes.
Boletus barrowsii
Boletus barrowsii, the white king bolete, is a western porcini relative with documented local food use in Mexico. Its pale cap and netted stem are not enough for field identification.
Boletus bicoloroides
A red-and-yellow bolete described from Michigan and also listed in Mexican fungal records. Historical sources classify it as food, but its species limits, Mexican range and safe food use need careful qualification.
Calabrian pepper flakes
Calabrian pepper flakes are dried red Capsicum annuum from Calabria, crushed into coarse pieces; Peperoncino di Calabria is a protected geographical indication.
Cantharellus odoratus
Cantharellus odoratus, the fragrant chanterelle, is a North American and Central American oak-woodland fungus. It was sold in a Veracruz market in the 1980s and in Guatemala in 2002, and its name is still disputed.
Cayenne
Cayenne is a very pungent red powder from dried, ground hot chilli pods, mostly Capsicum annuum, and the name of the long red peppers it comes from.
Chalciporus piperatus
A peppery woodland bolete with historical edible labels and reported condiment use in Querétaro. Current mycological references call its edibility suspect or unestablished; this entry does not recommend consumption.
Community
No community contributions have been published for this entry yet.
Share what you made
Sign in to contribute. Published comments and photos are free to read.
Sources
Texas MushroomsIdentity · Food use · Season
Lentinus levisEdible when young but tough
Subtropical to tropical North American distribution; fruiting April to October in Texas
Cited in: What the fungus is; Food use; Safety and identification
WikipediaHistory · Food use · Cultivation
Lentinus levisHuichol (Wixarika) gather it for food but prefer less chewy species
Cultivated as a saprotroph; cites a 1997 study on cultivation in Mexico
Cited in: What the fungus is; Food use; Cultivation