Yunnan Cantharellus

Yunnan Cantharellus

　　Yunnan Cantharellus belongs to the Cantharellaceae family and is an edible mushroom. The fruiting body is small, pale orange-yellow, and fleshy. It grows on the ground in mixed forests.

　　Morphological features: The cap is 1.5–5 cm in diameter, slightly depressed in the center, with fine downy hairs, and wavy, inrolled edges. The flesh is white. The gills are white, later turning pale salmon, thick and narrow, dichotomously forked, sparse, and decurrent. The stipe is 3–5 cm long and 0.5–1 cm thick, with irregular small grooves, tapering downward, white with fibrous streaks. The spores are oval or olive-shaped, colorless, measuring 4–5 μm × 2–3.5 μm. It is distributed in Yunnan and Guizhou and is edible.

　　Cantharellus is the fruiting body of the fungus Cantharellus cibarius Fr. from the fungi kingdom. The fruiting body is fleshy, trumpet-shaped, and ranges in color from apricot yellow to egg yolk yellow. The cap is 3–9 cm wide, initially flat and later becoming depressed. The flesh is egg yolk yellow and has a delicious taste. Cantharellus is rich in nutrients such as carotene, vitamin C, protein, calcium, phosphorus, and iron. It has a sweet and cool nature. It is known to benefit the eyes, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract. Regular consumption can help prevent vision decline, eye inflammation, and dry skin. Cantharellus is one of the world’s four most famous mushrooms and is sometimes also called apricot mushroom, apricot-yellow mushroom, or yellow-thread mushroom. Traditional Chinese medicine holds various positive views on Cantharellus. According to records, it is cool in nature and sweet in flavor, with benefits for the lungs and eyes, tonifying the gastrointestinal tract, clearing heat and promoting urination, and benefiting qi and soothing the middle. Regular consumption can treat conditions such as rough and dry skin caused by vitamin A deficiency, night blindness, vision disorders, eye inflammation, and more.

　　Source: Office of the People's Government of Nanhua County