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Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus) Named Germany’s 2026 Mushroom of the Year

Germany’s mycology society highlights conservation needs for a scarce wild fungus dependent on old beech and oak deadwood.

Overview

  • The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Mykologie announced the selection on October 4 and described wild populations as rare and threatened.
  • Cultivation and gourmet sales are expanding, with fresh farmed mushrooms offered in specialty and online shops for up to €30 per kilogram.
  • The species fruits on fresh deadwood in humid deciduous forests, typically on mature beech or oak.
  • The natural range spans Europe, North and Central America, and East Asia.
  • In Germany, occurrences are concentrated in near-natural, deadwood-rich mixed forests of the North‑East German lowlands, where wild stands should be left undisturbed.