In addition to the Gardens' many plant collections, each winter we enjoy an interesting natural phenomena: a wide variety of wild mushrooms appear throughout our grounds. Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies, or reproductive structures, of some types of fungi. All the fungi in this guide have been found in the Gardens and fall under the subdivisions: Ascomycotina (morels, truffles, yeasts) and Basidiomycotina (mushrooms, puffballs, and bracket fungi). Each mushroom has been identified by genus and species, common names are also referenced. Throughout the season, we offer mushroom talks and walks by local experts, and interpretive signs are posted where mushrooms appear. Come visit the Gardens and take advantage of the 150-plus species of mushrooms to be found right here on our grounds. Please note that many of the mushrooms found in the Gardens are poisonous. Positive identification for the purposes of collecting and eating mushrooms is not the purpose of this checklist. For a great resource on mushrooms (with a California focus) visit MykoWeb. MykoWeb is devoted to the science of mycology (the study of the fungi) and the hobby of mushrooming (the pursuit of mushrooms). MykoWeb was started in the fall of 1995 and was one of the first internet mycology mushrooming sites.

Additional Information