Termitomyces eurhizus

What the mushroom is

Termitomyces eurhizus is a wild agaric of the genus Termitomyces. The genus is one whose members are grown in the nests of fungus-growing termites of the subfamily Macrotermitinae, and whose fruiting bodies appear from the termite-built substrate around the mound. The catalogue gives the common name termite mushroom, which it also gives for several other species.

The spelling Termitomyces eurrhizus appears in some literature. Regional names and older broad species concepts of Termitomyces need molecular verification, so this name cannot yet be assigned with confidence to one species.

Termites and where it grows

Fungus-growing termites build fungus combs inside their nests from plant material, faeces and soil, and the Termitomyces fungus grows on that comb. The mushrooms come up from the termite-associated substrate. The catalogue records the supply as wild and the ecology as symbiotic with fungus-growing termites.

The regions recorded for the species are Yunnan in southern China and parts of South and Southeast Asia. Most Termitomyces species were described from Africa, according to a review of the genus, and the African records for the close species Termitomyces fuliginosus are covered on a separate page.

Food use as recorded

The supplied catalogue records the species as a wild food mushroom, eaten in soups and fried, and it records that some Termitomyces are preserved by frying in oil. Across the genus, reviews describe the mushrooms as prized for their flavour and texture, and report that they are gathered in the rainy season for home meals and for sale in local markets.

The catalogue does not record a separate preparation for this species, and the sources read for this entry do not give quantities, drying methods or yields for it. The food record rests on the genus-level reviews and on the regional food listing in the catalogue.

Identification and safety

This entry is not an identification guide. Termitomyces mushrooms from different regions are sold under the same common name, and a market name does not identify the species in hand. The catalogue states that the regional names and species concepts need molecular verification and that wild supply predominates.

No safety assessment of this species was found in the sources read. The catalogue states that preparation, identity and current safety require separate validation, and a food record from a regional list does not establish that a mushroom is safe to eat. Anyone who wants to eat a wild Termitomyces needs a qualified identification of the specimen.

Open questions

The points that decide how this record should be read are whether the Yunnan and South and Southeast Asian records refer to this species or to other members of the genus, what preparations are used for it, and how far it is gathered compared with other termite mushrooms.