Not edible. Tough or woody; used as tea or extract. Never eat a wild mushroom identified only from photos.
- Season in Mexico
- HabitatWood of trees
- GrowingMedium
- FamilyPolyporaceae
How do you identify reishi?
- Cap
- Kidney-shaped, up to 20 cm across; red to pinkish-brown at maturity, according to the description of Romanian specimens.[10]
- Pores
- Round, cream-colored pores, 4–5 per mm; they turn brown under pressure.[1]
- Stem
- Usually 5–12 × 1–3 cm, with an uneven, reddish-brown surface.[1]
- Spore print
- Brown.[1]
- Smell
- Mushroom-like.[1]
Can you eat reishi?
It is classified as inedible. Published reports describe liver injury associated with powdered preparations labeled lingzhi, including a fatal case; the patients also took other medicines. A review identifies possible interactions with anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs, with a theoretical bleeding risk.[1][8][9]
How do you grow reishi?
Temperature
Colonization21–27 °C
Fruiting21–27 °C
Humidity
Colonization0–95 %
Fruiting0–92 %
Full cycle: 90 days
- Light
- Indirect
Substrates
Woods it likes
Log your batches, temperatures and harvests. The free plan needs no card.
Where and when does reishi grow?
Grows on living and dead broadleaf trees, occasionally on conifers, in forests, parks, and gardens. It causes white rot.[1]
The consulted literature gives summer and autumn for Europe. Fruiting months in Mexico remain unconfirmed for G. lucidum sensu stricto.[1][3]
Ganoderma lucidum sensu stricto is the European species. A study documented restricted populations in northern California and Utah, possibly introduced. Mexican literature questions its American distribution; Mexican records published under this name require taxonomic review.[3][11]
About the name
Ganoderma lucidum sensu stricto is the species described from Europe. The widely cultivated Chinese lingzhi belongs to G. sichuanense. A study of type material considers G. lingzhi a later synonym of G. sichuanense. These names explain some of the confusion in older records and studies.[2][11]
